Kansas City, We Have a Problem: The Run Game is a Joke and It’s Wasting Mahomes’ Prime

Published: September 25, 2025

Alright, let’s just cut to the chase. Stop with the “it’s early” nonsense. Stop with the “Super Bowl hangover” excuses. The Kansas City Chiefs are 1-2, fresh off losing a heartbreaker to the very team that snatched the Lombardi from them last February, and the sky isn’t falling—it’s got massive cracks in it. And the reason is staring us right in the face, but nobody wants to say it.

The running game is an absolute, unmitigated disaster.

You want proof? Here’s a stat that should send a chill down the spine of every single fan in Chiefs Kingdom. After three games—three full professional football games—the team’s leading rusher is Patrick Lavon Mahomes II.

Let that sink in. The man with the half-a-billion-dollar arm, the generational talent you’re supposed to protect at all costs, is leading your team in rushing yards with 125 and rushing touchdowns with TWO. Are you kidding me?! This isn’t some clever Andy Reid wrinkle. This is a five-alarm fire masquerading as a game plan. This is a catastrophic failure of personnel, scheme, and execution.

The Numbers Don’t Lie

Don’t just take my word for it. The evidence of this offensive malpractice is all over the stat sheet. If you don’t believe me, go look at the stats on ESPN’s own page. The Chiefs are sputtering, ranking a pathetic 21st in the league in points per game, averaging a measly 20 points. Their rushing offense is a middling 17th in the league, a number that’s artificially inflated by their quarterback running for his life!

You expect to win in this league when you can’t establish the run? You think defenses are scared of this team? They’re licking their chops! With no threat of a ground game, opposing defensive coordinators are just telling their guys to pin their ears back and hunt Mahomes. It’s a miracle he’s even made it through these first three weeks.

And let’s be clear: the defense is doing its job! They’re ranked 9th in points against, holding opponents to under 19 points a game. They are putting this team in a position to win, and the offense is squandering it week after week because they can’t get a single yard on the ground when it counts.

More Than Just a Slow Start

This isn’t just about a 1-2 record. This is about the long-term health of your franchise player and the viability of your championship window. Every single time Mahomes has to scramble for a tough four yards on 3rd and 3, that’s another unnecessary hit on his body. Every designed run-pass option that turns into a QB keeper is another roll of the dice with the future of this organization.

This offensive imbalance is a recipe for disaster. It’s predictable. It’s lazy. And frankly, it’s an insult to the talent you have on this roster. Hollywood Brown was brought in to stretch the field, not to be a spectator while his quarterback tries to juke linebackers.

The loss to the Chargers at home? A game they should have won. The revenge-game dud against the Eagles? A chance to make a statement that fell flat. This team looks lost, and it all starts and ends with their inability to run the football.

The Clock is Ticking

The time for excuses is over. This isn’t a glitch; it’s a trend. The Chiefs have a massive test coming up against a desperate 1-2 Baltimore Ravens team. You think the Ravens aren’t watching this tape? You think they aren’t going to come to Arrowhead with a game plan designed to punish this one-dimensional offense?

Somebody in that building needs to wake up and fix this. Whether it’s the coaching staff, the offensive line, or the running backs themselves, the message needs to be sent: what’s happening right now is unacceptable. You don’t waste the prime years of a talent like Patrick Mahomes because you forgot how to hand the ball off.

The Kingdom might not be crumbling yet, but the foundation is shaking. And if they can’t fix this running game, it’s going to be a long, frustrating season of watching number 15 try to do it all himself. And we’ve all seen how that story ends.