Amid the Kansas City Chiefs' 0-2 start to the 2025 NFL season, starting quarterback Patrick Mahomes'-led offense has had a glaring weakness. While Mahomes sees 0-2 as an opportunity for his Chiefs to bounce back in Week 3, the statistics show where Kansas City's shortcomings have limited its offense.
It stems from the Chiefs' struggles on third down, as ESPN's Bill Barnell noted.
“They're not breaking the league on third down,” Barnwell wrote. “Without the big plays downfield, the Chiefs have survived in recent years by tormenting defenses on third down. Between 2022 and 2024, the Chiefs converted nearly 47% of third downs, trailing only the Bills for the best rate in the NFL. They were the ninth-best offense by EPA per play on first and second down before leading the league there on third down.”
Two games into the 2025 NFL season and the Chiefs are fourth in lowest third-down conversion percentage.
“Kansas City is 26th in third-down conversion percentage (34.6%),” Barnwell added. “That's obviously a small sample — we're talking about only 26 third-down tries — but it's an indicator of just how dependent the Chiefs have been on those conversions to sustain their offense. If you're not hitting big plays on the ground or in the air, and you're not getting short fields from a defense that hasn't forced any turnovers, you need to matriculate your way down the field and repeatedly pick up third downs to score.
“The Chiefs need to be among the best third-down offenses in the league for this style to work. They aren't right now.”
Patrick Mahomes embracing 0-2 opportunity for Chiefs
Despite the fact that there 14 games left in the NFL season, ESPN gave the Chiefs a 50% playoff probability in light of their 0-2 start. For Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, it's an opportunity to prove the naysayers wrong, he said, ahead of Week 3's matchup against the Giants, per NBC Sports' Pro Football Talk.
“Obviously, being 0-2, there’s more urgency than even last week, and I feel like we were very urgent last week,” Mahomes said in his Wednesday press conference. “Definitely new territory as far as being 0-2, but knowing that we got the guys for it. We have the mindset of going out there and being even better.
“In my eyes, it looks like an opportunity. What an opportunity to prove who we are as the Kansas City Chiefs. Coming back from 0-2 and trying to build up to win a big football game on Sunday Night Football and try and get our season going in the right direction from there.”
The Chiefs will face the Giants on Sunday.
