The Kansas City Chiefs your brother told you about may finally be back.
The Chiefs beat the Los Angeles Chargers 22-6 on Sunday to improve to 5-0, and the offense that once dominated the NFL, led by Patrick Mahomes, appears to be almost back in full force.
According to RBSDM.com, a website that specializes in advanced analytics, the Chiefs’ offense ranks No. 1 in expected points per game over the five seasons from 2018 (the year Mahomes became Kansas City’s starting quarterback) through 2022. During that time, Kansas City won two Super Bowls and Mahomes won the regular season MVP award twice.
However, from 2023 to 2025, the Chiefs regressed significantly by ranking only 10th in offensive EPA. Kansas City still won another championship in those three seasons. But during that time, the Chiefs also suffered a humiliating Super Bowl loss and a completely collapsed offense. They started 6-7 last season, but Mahomes tore his ACL and ultimately missed the playoffs.
Now, Mahomes and the Chiefs are undefeated in five games for only the third time in his career, and the offense is closer to the peak of his five-year start than the slump of the last three seasons.
Entering Week 6, Kansas City’s offense ranks fourth in the NFL in EPA per game, which would be its best mark since the 2022 season. The Chiefs rank second in EPA rushing numbers this week, which would be their best finish in nearly a decade.
There are several reasons why the offense has performed well through five games.
Mahomes himself has fared better, posting his highest yards per attempt average and passer rating since 2022. Even with no touchdowns and one interception against the Chargers, Mahomes is still on pace to throw 32 touchdown passes this year, which would be his most since (you guessed it!) 2022.
Kansas City, meanwhile, is getting a big boost from running back Kenneth Walker III, who just won the Super Bowl MVP award before the season with the Seattle Seahawks.
Walker has rushed for at least one touchdown in every game but only one so far this season. After rushing for 128 yards and two scores against Los Angeles, Walker has amassed 655 yards and six touchdowns while adding two more touchdowns as a receiver.
“He’s a stud,” coach Andy Reid told reporters after the game. “He knows how to carry the ball, he knows how to run the ball. It’s an art and you have to have patience, vision and all those things that great players have. He has all of that, and he’s tough. He’s a tough kid.”
Walker’s first five games put him in the elite ranks. NFL researcher Tony Holzman-Escareno said he is the third player this century to have at least 750 kickoff yards and eight touchdowns in the first five games of a season. In 2002, Pastor Holmes did just that and won the Offensive Player of the Year award. Marshall Faulk did it in 2000 and won the same award… along with the MVP award.
Walker is also the first player since Hall of Famer Jim Brown in 1963 to rush for at least 600 yards, six rushing touchdowns and multiple receiving touchdowns in his first five games, according to Holzman-Escareno.
Walker said the offense may need to reach another level, saying after the game, “I feel like we’re going to be better.”
(In addition to their offensive success, the Chiefs have also been stingy on defense, allowing just 16.3 points per game after Sunday’s win.)
The last time Kansas City started the season 5-0 was in the 2024 season, when it finished the regular season 11-0 with one score and a thrilling two-win playoff run before being eliminated in the Super Bowl by the Philadelphia Eagles.
But it’s a completely different 5-0 because the Chiefs now have an efficient offense and a strong defense. While Kansas City has been a title contender under Mahomes, this year’s team is stronger than it has been in seasons past.
“We’ve been in a lot of Super Bowls, but the last few times we haven’t played our best in the regular season,” Mahomes said, returning from an ACL injury that changed his perspective. “Today was a process for me. Having to go through the rehab process instead of playing football really made me enjoy the process.”
He added, “You want to take advantage of every opportunity you get to step on the court.”