Could the Kansas City Chiefs miss the playoffs in the 2024 NFL Season?

PFF outlined one reason why each AFC team could miss the postseason in 2024.
Kansas City Chiefs OTA Offseason Workouts
Kansas City Chiefs OTA Offseason Workouts / Jamie Squire/GettyImages
facebooktwitterreddit

Is it possible for the two-time defending Super Bowl champions to miss the playoffs in the 2024 NFL Season? Well, barring a major injury, which is something we don't want, it might not be possible. However, most Super Bowl teams have endured some type of Super Bowl hangover at some point.

Since winning the Super Bowl in 2015, the Denver Broncos have not returned to the playoffs. The 2023 Philadelphia Eagles, who made the Super Bowl in 2022, lost in the first-round of the postseason this year. The Carolina Panthers, who the Broncos beat in Super Bowl 50, have been mostly irrelevant since making it to the big game.

However, it's nearly impossible for this to happen to the Kansas City Chiefs, or is it?

Here's what Gordon McGuinness cited as the reason why the Chiefs could actually miss the postseason in 2024:

"The reality is that as long, as Patrick Mahomes is healthy, the Chiefs are unlikely to miss the playoffs, so this is more of a “one reason why the Chiefs won’t complete the three-peat.” They survived issues at wide receiver in 2023, but it again looks like one of the biggest question marks on the roster. Rashee Rice impressed as a rookie, earning an 85.0 PFF grade in 2023, but could face a suspension, while free-agent addition Marquise Brown has struggled to stay on the field due to injuries. Xavier Worthy could make a big impact as a rookie, but how good he can be in year one remains an unknown."

Gordon McGuinness

You know what. this is perhaps the only valid reason why the Chiefs could miss the postseason unless players get hurt. Another offseason is mostly in the books for the Chiefs, yet they still have questions at wide receiver. Rashee Rice getting in some off-field trouble also doesn't help the Chiefs.

Xavier Worthy is now on the team, so perhaps that could yield something. Marquise Brown was a fine addition, but even in 2023, the Kansas City Chiefs offense was pretty average. Considering it didn't really get better on paper, you have to wonder if the offense is going to be roughly the same in 2024.

Could that keep them out of the postseason? Perhaps. Their defense was among the best in the NFL in 2023, so that definitely played a huge part. If the defense regresses a hair and the offense is about the same that it was in 2023, I could see a sliver of a possibility that the Chiefs could entirely miss the postseason.