Chiefs’ Fall to 0–2 Dims the Spotlight on NFL’s Top TV Draw

The Chiefs’ status as the NFL’s latest “America’s Team” is under heightened levels of stress after sinking to a new low in the Patrick Mahomes–Andy Reid era.

Kansas City lost the Super Bowl LIX rematch Sunday against Philadelphia, falling to 0–2 in a season for the first time since 2014, the second year for Reid as Chiefs head coach and the team’s previous non-playoff campaign. Mahomes, the team’s star quarterback, hasn’t had that record in his career since he was a sophomore in high school. Dating back to the Super Bowl in February, the Chiefs have now lost three straight games.

The latest loss to the Eagles followed a season-opening defeat Sept. 5 to the Chargers in Brazil, a game that has continued to spur debate about the streaming audience on YouTube.

A big viewership number from Fox is expected late Tuesday for the game against the Eagles, extending a run the Chiefs have had since early last year as the NFL’s most-watched team, supplanting the Cowboys. That lofty position, however, will be tested in new ways as the team’s next four games will all be on national TV. 

The run of contests includes:

• A Sunday Night Football game Sept. 21 on NBC at the Giants 
• A late-afternoon, nationally broadcast home game Sept. 28 against the Ravens on CBS
• A Monday Night Football game Oct. 6 on ESPN at the Jaguars
• Another SNF game Oct. 12, this time at home against the Lions 

The NFL intentionally selected that run of showcase games for the Chiefs, and they were a key part of the 2025 schedule release in May, as the league seeks to maximize overall viewership. That national-level presence will continue later in the season with key games against the Commanders and Bills, and then on Thanksgiving with a late-afternoon game against the Cowboys, a broadcast eyed as potentially the league’s largest in regular-season history.

In the immediate term, though, Mahomes said the initial focus is on minimizing on-field mistakes. That’s particularly true as the Chiefs are already two games back in the conference standings from top rivals such as the Bills and Bengals, with the Colts also standing at 2–0, and either the Chargers or Raiders will get there Monday night. 

“We deal with adversity. It’s about how you deal with it,” Mahomes said. “Obviously, this isn’t how we want to start, but how are we going to respond?”