Colin Cowherd: Chiefs' Dynasty 'Over' As Need to Rebuild vs. Reboot Looms Large

An ugly Week 14 loss has the Kansas City Chiefs on the ropes, and FOX Sports' Colin Cowherd believes the writing is on the wall with the reigning AFC champions in danger of missing the postseason.

"The dynasty is over," Cowherd said on Monday's "The Herd with Colin Cowherd." 

The Chiefs fell to the Houston Texans, 20-10, in a game that saw the NFL's best scoring defense intercept Patrick Mahomes three times and give Kansas City fits all night in all three phases. The star quarterback also led the team in rushing yards for the fourth time this season, with each game ending in a loss. 

For Cowherd, the 6-7 Chiefs' struggle to win close games this season, a year after barely winning close games in 2024, signals bigger problems. Yes, Andy Reid's squad has won three of the last six Super Bowls and nine-straight division titles, but with the AFC West set to crown a new champ for the first time since 2015, it's clear other teams have caught up.

"The NFL doesn't want dynasties, they don't need dynasties," Cowherd said. "What they want is you can be dominant for a few years. We'd love you to have a superstar quarterback, but you're going to get lousy draft picks, and you're going to have to pay him and the roster's going to get thin." 

As Cowherd noted, the 10-year, $450 million deal Mahomes signed in 2020, and has since restructured to create cap space, has limited the Chiefs' ability to re-tool the roster. Couple that with a mixed bag of draft picks in the Reid-Mahomes era (since 2018), and Kansas City is starting to look a step slower than its fresher contemporaries.

Still, the Chiefs have a slim chance to make the playoffs, but can ill afford to lose another game with four games left. To Cowherd, though, the sluggish performance, namely a battered offensive line down three starters in Week 14, is enough to declare the Chiefs' best days are behind them.

"I think it's closer to a rebuild [than a reboot]," Cowherd said. "That offensive line is a mile from the Rams. It's a mile from the [Broncos] … the margins are not only shrinking, they’re gone. They're the second-best team on the field."

Hear Cowherd's full thoughts on the Chiefs' disastrous season below:

Texans beat Chiefs 20-10, Is the Kansas City Dynasty over? | The Herd

Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!