"Only the Jets have a longer streak": Nick Wright calls out Patrick Mahomes' brilliance hiding long-term issues in Chiefs' running game

The Kansas City Chiefs just came short of achieving the first three-peat in NFL history last season, but that doesn't change the fact that they have been the most dominant and consistent side in the league in the past few years. The team has participated in five of the last six Super Bowls and won three.

The Chiefs have started preparing for another season of dominance following their humiliating Super Bowl loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in February. However, it seems like Kansas City still has to make progress in one area.

On Tuesday's episode of First Things First, analyst Nick Wright pointed out the rushing offense as an area the Chiefs have struggled in the past few seasons. He also picks it as an area of concern for the team heading into the 2025 season.

"Can we have an excellent running game? I thought Isiah Pacheco could be that last year," Wright said (Timestamp: 0:29). "Pacheco was a great story as a seventh-rounder, an overachiever, great. Broke his leg, so you can't hold that against him, and then when he came back, he just wasn't quite the same.

"Only the New York Jets have a longer streak of not having a 1,000-yard rusher. Since Patrick Mahomes has been there, the Chiefs' leading rusher has had less than 930 yards every year and less than 600 yards three times. The average is 740. I would just like a running game the other team has to pay attention to."

According to Wright, quarterback Patrick Mahomes' brilliance as a passer has made it difficult to see the Chiefs' long-term need for a productive rusher. However, the analyst now thinks the team has to pay attention to that area going forward.

Given how the team doesn't heavily depend on its rushing game, the Chiefs didn't give priority to reinforcing the position during this year's draft again. They waited until the seventh round before bringing in a running back, selecting receiver-turned-rusher Brashard Smith with the 228th overall pick.

Since then, Smith has joined the Chiefs running back room, which also includes Carson Steele, Kareem Hunt, Elijah Mitchell and Isiah Pacheco.

Patrick Mahomes wants the Chiefs offense to dominate again in 2025

The Kansas City Chiefs offense, which was once explosive and high-flying, appeared to be a shadow of its former self during the 2024 season. However, after the team's minicamp on Wednesday, offensive leader and quarterback Patrick Mahomes voiced his optimism about returning the offense to being among the best in the league.

“I think all you can do is just be better than you were the day before. Obviously, we have an expectation that we’re going to go out there and score every single drive," Mahomes told reporters.

"It takes every single person in the building to go out there and have the top offense in the league. We have to just go into every practice and every film study with that mindset that we’re going to get the best out of it.”

With Xavier Worthy, Hollywood Brown, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Isiah Pacheco all available from the beginning of the 2025 season and receiver Rashee Rice expected to be fully recovered after suffering a knee injury in 2024, Chiefs fans will be expecting to see a much stronger offensive performance from the team this year.