An ex-Chiefs tackle, once a trusted protector of Patrick Mahomes, is now questioning everything about the team’s direction. With the Kansas City Chiefs off to a shaky 0-2 start, he is siding with two rivals who look far more playoff-ready.

Former Chiefs All-Pro tackle Mitchell Schwartz gave a harsh breakdown of the team’s struggles during his Russillo Pod appearance. “This is probably the most down I’ve felt on the Chiefs since I left”. He feels the situation is so messy, he is not sure the team can fix it.

And then came the part that stung.

“I think Buffalo’s better. I think Baltimore’s better,” Schwartz said. It’s tough to accept that Mahomes now looks behind rivals like the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens, ranked 8th and 7th, while the Chiefs struggle at 18th in offensive ranking.

In a league where early losses can snowball fast, the numbers paint a grim picture.

Since 1990, just 13% of teams that start the season 0-2 have clawed their way into the playoffs. For those who dare to slip to 0-3?

That number plummets to a chilling 2.4%. These are the kind of odds that make a fan’s skin crawl, and for the Mahomes‘ Chiefs, it’s a cold, hard dose of reality they’ve never had to swallow with their current quarterback at the helm.

Schwartz reacted to the Chiefs’ poor showing against the Eagles, where their offense looked disconnected. On a key 4th-and-1 from their own 36, they called a simple handoff to Kareem Hunt, and it failed. The result?

A lost yard and a collective groan from everyone who knows this team. Schwartz, never one to mince words, took to social media to call it what it was: “This offense is gross.”

His brother, fellow former lineman Geoff Schwartz, piled on: “I’d much rather have Mahomes throw on 4th down than try getting Hunt across a formation on a wide zone handoff.”

The frustration didn’t end there.

A couple of drives later, another chance was squandered when a pass bounced off Kelce’s hands for an INT. A day of near-misses and sloppy execution, an offense that could only muster 38 points and 641 total yds through 2 games, a far cry from the Bills’ 900 total yds and the Ravens’ 674.

Schwartz’s warning: Chiefs’ offense is at a breaking point

Schwartz shared more thoughts in a follow-up post. He said the offense still belongs to Andy Reid, not Matt Nagy. The decline began when they lost explosive players. Now, it’s just a mix of new faces and castoffs.

He also believes losing Mike Kafka hurt because Kafka was a key voice in developing Mahomes and designing the passing game that once made the Chiefs unstoppable.

However, that wasn’t Schwartz’s only concern.

September 14, 2025: Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes 15 runs the ball during the second half of an NFL, American Football Herren, USA football game against the Philadelphia Eagles at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, MO. /CSM Kansas City United States of America – ZUMAc04_ 20250914_zma_c04_225 Copyright: xDavidxSmithxThe veteran NFL player thinks the Chiefs have spent too much on defense and the O-line, while ignoring skill positions. As a result, the offense looks weak, and Mahomes’ completion rate has dropped to a career-low 58.8% after two games.

The offense has become too basic and depends too much on short passes, making Mahomes work extra hard to keep things moving. Shockingly, he is also their top runner with 123 yards.

The Chiefs are at a turning point. Trust between Mahomes, his O-line, and receivers is fading in today’s tougher league. Teams like the Bills are finding ways to shut down deep passes and force slow, grinding drives. Right now, the Chiefs don’t seem built for that kind of battle.

When someone who protected Mahomes for over 100 games loses faith, it’s a clear sign something’s wrong. As the Chiefs prepare to face the Giants, they’ll need to fight hard to earn that trust back.