Patrick Mahomes' road to another Super Bowl grows tougher as Kansas City Chiefs struggle to regain their championship form

Kansas City started 5-0 and has now lost twice in a row. A 20-3 defeat at Seattle was followed by a 28-24 loss at Denver, a game the Chiefs led by double digits in the fourth quarter. At 5-2, they have slipped to second in the AFC West for the first time this season. Patrick Mahomes threw for 321 yards and three touchdowns in Denver, and it still was not enough. The New York Jets visit Arrowhead on Sunday, and the Chiefs badly need a clean win to settle things.Why have the Chiefs not regained their championship form?On paper, 5-2 is a fine record. Underneath, the numbers tell a different story. Kansas City led the NFL in total yards per game at 414 before Seattle held it to 213. Mahomes finished with 165 passing yards and an interception behind an injury-hit offensive line. Kenneth Walker III, the free agent signed to drive the run game, managed 36 yards. Andy Reid did not dodge it. “I take full responsibility for this,” he said. Mahomes was equally frustrated and made no effort to hide it.Denver exposed a different flaw. The offense moved the ball, and Mahomes passed Peyton Manning and Dan Marino with his 49th game of three or more touchdown passes, the most by any player in his first 10 seasons. Then the lead slipped away. Mahomes had lost only twice before when ahead by double digits in the fourth quarter. Now it is three times, against 80 wins. One loss does not define a career, but it hints at a team still working out how to close games without its old margin for error.What does the road back to the Super Bowl look like now?Context makes the climb steeper. Kansas City went 6-11 last year and missed the playoffs after Mahomes tore his ACL in Week 15. He came back this fall with an extension through 2033, and Travis Kelce re-signed on a new three-year deal. The 5-0 start made that comeback look smooth. These two losses have reopened questions about the offensive line and the depth around the quarterback. Two games do not make a collapse, but the margin for error is shrinking.The schedule offers a quick chance to answer them. The Jets visit Arrowhead on Sunday. Buffalo awaits in Week 12, and a meeting with Josh Allen will say plenty about where this team really stands. Before then, Kansas City has to protect Mahomes and bring back the ground game that carried it early. Walker ran for 173 yards in Week 1 and 177 in Week 4. He has not come close to those numbers in the last two games.Reid has to decide how much he leans on quicker throws and designed runs while the line is thin. Seattle showed how costly long dropbacks can be. Sunday gives him a chance to try it before the schedule gets harder.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.