The Kansas City Chiefs enter the back half of the 2025 season at 5-4, but still in the playoff mix if they take care of business in the second half of the season. The trade deadline passed without a move, meaning any course correction will have to come from within. That's a sobering thought, but this team is not without talent or coaching brainpower.
The Chiefs can help themselves by using personnel more wisely, rediscovering what worked earlier in the season, and making a few well-placed adjustments to what they're already doing. The goal is consistency in the home stretch, and it's possible for Kansas City.
Here are a few keys that could help them pull that consistency off.
Reignite Thornton
During the first five weeks of the regular season, while Rashee Rice served a league suspension and Xavier Worthy recovered from a torn labrum, the Chiefs leaned heavily on second-year wide receiver Tyquan Thornton. He provided a reliable stretch element to the offense, catching 13 passes for 272 yards and three touchdowns over that span. Since Rice and Worthy returned, Thornton’s role has shrunk to just 15 offensive snaps per game.
The Chiefs certainly have a crowded receiver room, but increasing Thornton’s snap share and reestablishing him as a boundary threat is key to maintaining offensive consistency. Worthy has often been tasked with taking the top off defenses, but hasn’t proven as reliable in that role. Thornton tracks the ball well and has the size to win contested catches downfield. This doesn’t need to be a zero-sum game. The Chiefs can simply distribute snaps more evenly across their receiving corps, and in so doing, unlock a more balanced and explosive passing attack.
Lean on 12
The Buffalo Bills' defensive game plan seemed to expose Kansas City's predictability on offense. It got me wondering if the Chiefs have become too static in their personnel tendencies. Of 578 offensive plays in 2025, they've used 11 personnel (one running back, one tight end, three wide receivers) on 300 snaps—that's 52% of the time. By contrast, they've aligned in 12 personnel just 32% of the time.
Bringing those groupings into better balance could help the Chiefs disguise concepts more effectively. An overreliance on 11 telegraphs their intentions and limits their versatility. Increasing the use of 12 personnel creates more dynamic looks, supports the ground game, and enhances play-action. It might also reintroduce Noah Gray as a viable pass-catching option. With both Gray and Travis Kelce capable of flexing out or blocking in-line, defenses are forced to stay honest, and that widens the possibilities.
Run to Daylight
By now, we're all clear on head coach Andy Reid's historical approach to the run game. His reluctance to commit to a functional ground attack could be a case study. Fortunately for the Chiefs, they don’t need a ground-and-pound identity to succeed. It’s less a matter of volume; they just need to run at the right times and lean in when the production supports it.
In Week 9, interim starter Kareem Hunt averaged 4.5 yards per carry but had just 11 attempts in a game that remained a one-score contest for significant stretches. That kind of imbalance limits play-action effectiveness and allows defenses to sit back. A more intentional run strategy—not heavier, just smarter—forces defenses to respect the full playbook.
More Nohl
Coming into the season, the plan was for free agent cornerback Kristian Fulton to join Jaylen Watson and Trent McDuffie as the big three in the secondary. The injury bug had other plans, as Fulton has logged just 17 defensive snaps all year. Fortunately for the Chiefs, it appears they’ve found another gem in Nohl Williams, the 85th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. So far, Williams has acquitted himself well in the opportunities he’s seen.
The trouble is that twice in the past five games, he’s played fewer than 10 defensive snaps. His heaviest workload came in the Buffalo game, but if Fulton remains sidelined, Williams needs to be a static member of that cornerback trifecta. After six weeks, he held the highest coverage grade in the NFL according to Pro Football Focus. He’s a rookie, but he’s a necessary piece for fielding a more stable defense down the stretch.
Bassa > Tranquill
Here’s an inconvenient truth about the Chiefs’ defense in 2025: Drue Tranquill has been dreadful in coverage. That was painfully evident in last week’s loss to the Bills. He’s often out of position due to late recognition or confusion about his responsibilities, and since arriving in Kansas City, he’s been trending in the wrong direction as a pass defender.
Fortunately, the Chiefs made a smart Day 3 investment in Oregon linebacker Jeffrey Bassa. A converted safety, Bassa spent his last three seasons at linebacker for the Ducks and brings superior coverage instincts and athleticism compared to Tranquill. Likely, he’ll eventually supplant Tranquill, possibly as early as 2026, but the Chiefs would be wise to accelerate that timeline.
Getting Bassa on the field more often requires a level of trust the coaching staff doesn’t always extend to rookies, but the situation demands it. The middle of the field needs protection, and at this stage in Tranquill’s career, it appears he’s no longer capable of providing it.
The trade deadline came and went without a transaction. For better or worse, the Chiefs are who they are from a personnel standpoint in 2025. They don’t need a sea change, just some personnel adjustments and a willingness to adapt. These five keys can give them a lift on both sides of the ball and help them play more consistently down the stretch. The margins are slimmer now, but the conference is still wide open. Steady the ship, punch the ticket to the postseason, and anything is possible for this team.