Is Chiefs' 2025 collapse a blessing in disguise? - ESPN

Patrick Mahomes wasted no time in beginning his comeback, undergoing surgery Monday evening in Dallas to repair the ACL he tore one day earlier in Kansas City. It can often be weeks before a player undergoes such a procedure.

It's the clearest sign that Mahomes is already focused on recovering, if not returning to play, as soon as humanly impossible. The recovery timeline is generally 9-12 months.

«Attack every single day over and over again,» Mahomes promised in a statement. "… I will be back stronger than ever."

That Mahomes was going to pour everything into being back stronger than ever was never in doubt.

It's imperative to the Chiefs, however, to make sure that doesn't become sooner than ever. This shouldn't be a rush; this should be about getting things right, both for Mahomes and the franchise over the long haul. A Week 16 loss to the Titans, who just last week were contending for the No. 1 pick for a second straight year, reinforces that point. As currently constructed, this team was overly reliant on Mahomes.

Mahomes' injury during the Chiefs' Week 15 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers was a brutal, if premature, end to a brutal season by Kansas City standards. After reaching five of the past six Super Bowls (and winning three), the Chiefs are 6-8 and already eliminated from the playoffs.

It was a jarring collapse, yet not entirely unexpected. Empires fall. Always.

What is painful and unfortunate, though, can also be an opportunity — at least if the Chiefs embrace it.

There is now no need to chase a final playoff spot this season in the long-shot hopes that Mahomes can once again conjure some postseason magic. Nor does Kansas City have to pretend this year's mediocrity was just a one-off hiccup of a season. It