2024 presented us with a familiar finale, but a surprising outcome: the Kansas City Chiefs ending their season on the losing end of a blowout.
Such a finish might inspire a desire to exact revenge on the rest of the NFL. That's not exactly how quarterback Patrick Mahomes sees it, though.
"I'm honestly just ready to play football again," Mahomes explained during an interview with FanDuel TV's Kay Adams. "Whenever you lose, you kind of have this taste in your mouth that you want to go out there and revenge that or whatever you want to say. At the same time, I feel like I've had to sit back and just listen to people talk and talk and I'm like, 'let's just play football and just handle it all out there.' I don't really want to talk about it. I just want to go out and show who we are as the Kansas City Chiefs."
Being the Kansas City Chiefs was a bit of a challenge in 2024. They won 15 games but were under constant fire from skeptics who weren't impressed by their style of play despite the positive results. By the time they'd arrived to New Orleans for Super Bowl LIX, a prevailing sense of fatigue followed them.
It sounds as though the Chiefs were feeling some of that fatigue, too -- and avoiding that is a priority in 2025.
"I think it's just us having fun again," Mahomes said when asked what the key to success will be this season. "It's always been fun playing on the Kansas City Chiefs; that's what makes it special. I feel like last year, I don't want to say it was pressure, but guys wanted to go out there and win every single week, not for the fun of the game, but just because we're supposed to. Let's go out there and have fun. The wins will come if we play the way we know we can play.
"We have the talent. We have the coaches. We work harder than anyone in the NFL. So let's go out there and have fun and let the results handle themselves."
A common theme in recent Chiefs seasons has revolved around a perceived lack of options at receiver. It's part of why DeAndre Hopkins ended up in Kansas City last season, a campaign in which the Chiefs lost Rashee Rice to a knee injury and only saw Marquise Brown play in two games.
Mahomes believes general manager Brett Veach has prepared accordingly entering 2025 -- and that the room will be both competitive and difficult for Veach and coach Andy Reid to trim down at the end of the preseason.
"I think it's gonna come from everywhere," Mahomes said. "Obviously, you've got Rashee being back -- he looks great. You have Xavier Worthy, who came on so strong at the end of last year. You have Hollywood Brown healthy again. Guys everywhere. You add in Travis Kelce, a Hall of Famer, Noah Gray, a great tight end, and everybody that we've added to all those different rooms.
"We have so many weapons. Let's go out there and just maximize it all. It's not gonna be just one person. It's gonna be the entire offseason going out there and showcasing what the Kansas City Chiefs truly are."
The Chiefs' identity hasn't matched their reputation over the last few seasons, leading to some undue skepticism regarding their chances of winning a championship. In 2022 and 2023, they thumbed their nose at the critics, taking home consecutive Super Bowl titles.
2024 produced a different story. Mahomes believes his team has a great chance to ensure 2025 doesn't end in the same disappointment.
