Chiefs Cannot Get Back to the Super Bowl? Dan Orlovsky Raises Evident Concerns

The Kansas City Chiefs started their season with a loss, marred by a weak offensive performance against the Los Angeles Chargers

Chiefs Cannot Get Back to the Super Bowl? Dan Orlovsky Raises Evident Concerns

Patrick Mahomes, Dan Orlovsky (Images via The Spun/SI)

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The Kansas City Chiefs have been one of the most prominent teams in the AFC since the decline of the New York Patriots in the aftermath of star quarterback Tom Brady’s exit. The Chiefs have been the AFC representative in five of the last six Super Bowls and won three of them.

Coming off a back-to-back title, the Chiefs were one of the highly favored teams to win the Super Bowl last season and on the path to becoming the first-ever to complete the three-peat. However, as everyone knows, the Chiefs faltered in the end, crumbling to the pressure of the indomitable Philadelphia Eagles’ defense. Additionally, despite their top seed and Super Bowl finish, the Chiefs looked unprepared and offensively weak in many of those regular season games as well.

Star quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce both showed a decline in production and form. All of these combined had the analysts worrying whether the Chiefs are still the dynasty team in the AFC. In fact, ahead of the season, many of these critics even suggested that the Chiefs aren’t making the same fortunes as their last six seasons, this time around.

The Chiefs also started the 2025 season with a loss against division rivals Los Angeles Chargers. The Las Vegas Raiders and the Denver Broncos picking up wins meant that the Chiefs started last in their division for the first time in a long time. Add the loss in Sao Paolo, where the Chiefs’ offense failed big time, to the early analysis, and the concerns have amplified.

Sure, it is only the first week of the season, but that has not stopped Dan Orlovsky from raising these concerns.

The offense has to find ways to be more explosive. This is a two-year thing right now. Listen, if they [the Chiefs] don’t find ways to be more consistently explosive in this era, you cannot get back to the Super Bowl.

Dan Orlovsky said on the latest episode of Get Up

The concerns also stem from the lack of depth in the receiving room following the tragic injury WR Xavier Worthy suffered in their first game. The fact that it happened due to a collision between Worthy and Kelce running crossing routes to confuse the Chargers’ defense hasn’t helped their case either.

Orlovsky’s statements came just two days ahead of the Chiefs’ next clash in the season. The Chiefs will face one of their biggest rivals in recent times, the Philadelphia Eagles. The defending champions have come from the offseason with more firepower and are one of the top contenders to win Super Bowl LX. Many of the fans online have also commented that there’s a huge chance the Chiefs go 2-4 to start the season. While many experts believe the Chiefs have the talent to compete, the latest Super Bowl 2026 odds actually favor a different team, suggesting Kansas City must overcome more obstacles than most realize.

The scouts and coaches aren’t counting out the Kansas City Chiefs yet

The Kansas City Chiefs might have lost their first game of the season, and their slow start might feel a little different this year, but that hasn’t stopped some sports personnel from believing in them. In a recent piece by Ralph Vacchiano and Eric Williams, the former claimed that one of the AFC scouts texted him that he’ll stop worrying when the Chiefs are fully decimated.

Patrick Mahomes
Patrick Mahomes (Image via The Big Lead)

On the lack of depth, the scout reflected that the same was said about the New England Patriots when they had depth issues. The scout added that Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid can do what Tom Brady and Bill Belichick did during those distress times.

Everyone says they’ve got no one on offense that scares you anymore. You know who scares me? Andy Reid and 15 (Patrick Mahomes). It’s the same stuff they used to say about New England –but (Bill) Belichick and (Tom) Brady did fine no matter who was around them. They’d probably still be winning titles today. So, call me when Reid and Pat retire.

The scout told Vacchiano

According to Williams, there were mixed opinions. A coach told Williams that the Chiefs will figure it out in the coming weeks. In fact, as per this specific coach, Mahomes was even the best quarterback in the league. Nevertheless, he raised some concerns. A different national scout told Williams that the Chiefs’ offensive scheme needs to change to better fit an aging Mahomes.

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