Kansas City is 5-0, and the ghost of last season is fading fast

Patrick Mahomes picked up his 100th regular-season win Sunday against the Chargers, reaching the milestone in his 131st start — the same pace Tom Brady needed to get there. The Chiefs won their fifth straight to open 2026, sitting atop the AFC West and holding the conference's top seed.

The backdrop makes the number land harder. Kansas City went 6-11 last season, a collapse defined by a 1-7 road record and a six-game losing streak to close the year. The offseason question was whether Mahomes, coming back from a torn ACL and LCL, could stabilize a team that had badly underperformed its own talent. Five weeks in, the answer is pointing one direction. Kenneth Walker III has been the engine on the ground, and the defense has held up despite the injury attrition that plagued camp.

The schedule stiffens. Seattle is next, and the Chiefs are already managing a banged-up receiving corps — Rashee Rice remains Questionable after missing last week with a hamstring injury, and Travis Kelce played through an ankle issue against Los Angeles. But at 5-0 and plus-11 points per game, Kansas City has answered the most basic question the offseason raised.