"The Chiefs have had by any measure a lousy season. They were older and slower and less healthy and less resilient in a game's biggest moments, and then Patrick Mahomes's power of invulnerability betrayed him two weeks ago. But still the hopefuls hoped, not for this year mind you but for 2026 and beyond. Dynasties die last in the minds of those who attach themselves to the dynasty like barnacles."
"Mahomes would rise again, and Travis Kelce would be replaced by a younger and more dynamic tight end, and the secondary would defend better, and Chris Jones would live forever, and Reid would trade Harrison Butker for a younger, more Brandon Aubrey-ish kicker, and they would go back to pulling horseshoes from their nethers seemingly every week. And for you conspiracy weirdos, they'd get the NFL office back on the payroll through the power of Swift."
Fan and pundit debates questioned whether the Kansas City Chiefs' window of dominance had shrunk. A brutal sequence of events made the franchise's decline unmistakable. The team endured an objectively poor season, marked by aging, slower play, injuries, and diminished resilience in critical moments. Patrick Mahomes suffered a knee injury two weeks ago that undermined his usual invulnerability. Optimists still envisioned revival by 2026 with younger skill-position replacements, improved defense, and roster moves. Multiple late-game losses, including a defeat to the Chargers and elimination from the postseason, removed lingering illusions of impending recovery.
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