Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs have reached the Super Bowl in three straight seasons, and they’ve also taken part in the championship game in five out of the past six years — winning three out of five appearances.
And yet, every offseason, it seems there is a writer or ranking that politely discredits the Chiefs and their roster.
NFL.com analyst Eric Edholm produced his annual top 10 list of the league’s “most complete” teams on May 28. The Chiefs, despite all their success, placed fourth — behind two NFC teams and one AFC franchise.
The rosters deemed to be more “well-rounded” were the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, Baltimore Ravens and Detroit Lions, in that order.
Chiefs Expected to Remain Near Top of NFL Because of Patrick Mahomes & ‘Elite’ Starters, Criticized for ‘Shakiness in the Trenches’
Edholm made it clear throughout his explanation that he still really likes the Chiefs as a potential contender, but it almost felt as though he was defending the 4th-place ranking as if others would think it was too high — rather than acknowledging KC could be higher.
“They continue to tinker with their wide receivers and offensive line,” Edholm wrote, regarding the Chiefs. “There will be new faces on defense, too. But the core of the 2025 Chiefs resembles the team that has forged its way into playing in five of the past six Super Bowls.”
He also voiced that despite the “lopsided loss in Super Bowl LIX,” he doesn’t expect them to “undergo a precipitous decline.”
“Kansas City’s defense had carried a bigger chunk of the load in recent years, but the Super Bowl LIX blowout proved the unit required reinforcements,” the analyst continued. “Four draft picks, including three on Day 2, should help with depth. DT Chris Jones and CB Trent McDuffie are elite defenders, and the Chiefs also have solid to strong playmakers throughout the defense. New CBs Kristian Fulton and Nohl Williams should help.”
Edholm also described Mahomes as “one of the most dangerous QBs in the game.” Citing Travis Kelce, a “better running back situation than the team had last season,” and a deep wide receiver room when talking about his offensive weapons.
“Some shakiness in the trenches keeps us from giving them an A across the board on the report card,” Edholm finally wrote more critically, “but Mahomes and a handful of other elite players, combined with solid middle-of-the-roster talent, makes this crew a top-10 lock in my book.”
“Drop them after the Super Bowl blowout at your own risk,” he concluded. “There’s enough left in the tank for another run.”
Chiefs Have Seemingly Gotten Better in 2025 — But Still Come Up Short in NFL.com Ranking
Over the past three years, the Chiefs have ranked third (2024), second (2023) and fourth (2022) in this specific NFL.com tradition. Edholm has produced this top 10 from 2023 through 2025.
Outside of the offensive line, it’s pretty much irrefutable that Kansas City’s current roster is better than the team that just made the Super Bowl. With a healthy Rashee Rice and Hollywood Brown on offense and a reinforced secondary on defense — despite a key departure in Justin Reid.
The Chiefs also got younger in areas they needed to and managed to retain integral free agents like Trey Smith and Nick Bolton, eliminating potential problems before they arose.
All this, and all of these Super Bowl appearances and victories, and KC has not been ranked as the “most complete” roster in the NFL in any of the past four offseasons. In fact, they’ve actually regressed a spot each year under Edholm’s tenure.
At some point, it’s fair to wonder what the Chiefs would have to do to place first.
