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"What's Wright - Best Of: Nick Wright's CHIEFS ROLLERCOASTER season week-by-week reaction | NFL"

Date: December 27, 2025
Host: Nick Wright (with Demanze as cohost)

Overview

This “Best Of” special stitches together Nick Wright's week-by-week reactions and analysis of the Kansas City Chiefs' tumultuous 2025 NFL season. With Wright’s signature blend of bold, opinionated takes and deep football knowledge (plus a deep personal attachment to the Chiefs), the episode covers high preseason hopes, unexpected struggles, wild emotional swings, and ultimately, the catastrophic ending of the Patrick Mahomes era (as it was), punctuated by Mahomes' devastating, season-ending injury. The discussion is both insightful and passionate, balancing clinical football breakdowns with colorful commentary and humor.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Preseason Hype and Chiefs Expectations

• Chiefs Over/Under Wins:

  • Wright confidently picks the over on 11.5 wins for the Chiefs, calling it "the easiest bet every single year" with Andy Reid and Mahomes at the helm.
  • "12 and 5 would disappoint me. I expect 13 and 4 or better. They are not going 11 and 6." (Nick Wright, 02:53)

• Super Bowl Exacta Picks:

  • Wright jokes about annual predictions, landing this year on Chiefs vs. Buccaneers at +5500.
  • Discusses the frequency of Chiefs playoff rematches, connecting the narrative dots to past Super Bowl duels.

• Legendary Mahomes vs. Mayfield College Game:

  • Recalls the epic 2016 Texas Tech vs. Oklahoma shootout:
    • Mahomes: 734 yards, 5 TDs (on 88 attempts!)
    • Mayfield: 545 yards, 7 TDs

Early Season Struggles: Offense Stalls, Issues Emerge

(04:51 – 16:10)

• Running Game Troubles:

  • Pacheco appears diminished after injury, lacking vision and explosiveness.
  • Backfield depth is lacking—Elijah Mitchell "nothing's happened," Rashard Smith a seventh-round rookie who isn't a solution.
  • Wright suggests trading for a running back from Miami (even more than for Tyreek Hill).

• Offensive Line Wobbles, Mahomes Under Duress:

  • Despite strong individual O-line pieces, Mahomes doesn’t trust pass protection; forced early into "playoff Mahomes" scrambling, risking injury and burning playoff-only tricks early.
  • "I despise that...it puts [Mahomes] in jeopardy..." (Nick Wright, ~11:30)

• Kelce Misfiring:

  • Miscommunications, drops, and a game-changing interception off a bobble—damaging if not yet deeply concerning.

• Defense Can’t Rush Four:

  • Struggles to generate pressure without blitzing. Rookies and some veterans (Carloftis, Minnehou) called out to step up; too often Chris Jones is “on an island.”

• Chiefs' Status in the Division & AFC:

  • Wright soberly notes they don’t deserve “super bowl favorite” status after early losses, but playoff panic is overstated.
  • Reminds fans of Mahomes’ 2021 slump and recovery—offering historical perspective on slow starts.
  • "I believe that's the moment Patrick snapped out of his funk. I believe that is the moment that the Chiefs will be the Chiefs again..." (Nick Wright tells story, 18:00)

Midseason Turnaround & Media Narrative

• Stabilizing Wins, Media Overreaction:
  • After ugly wins over the Giants and Ravens, Wright lambasts critics writing the Chiefs’ obituary.
  • "They have a Hall of Fame head coach, a Hall of Fame caliber D coordinator, and the most talented quarterback to ever live..." (Nick Wright, 24:00)
  • Admits the team isn't "fully back"—the offense still stutters, defense still can’t rush—but Chiefs look like themselves again with a "competent receiving core."
  • Critiques overreaction: "It was embarrassing and it was so fickle and so myopic..." (Nick Wright, 24:00)

Highs, Lows, and Emotional Toll

• Emotional Candidness:

  • Nick speaks to the personal impact of the rollercoaster, from sleepless nights to domestic clues his wife is worried about him.
  • “Hopefully this will be my catharsis…” (Demanze/Nick, 29:03)

• Frustrating Losses & What Sets Chiefs Apart:

  • Chiefs "don’t lose games like that" after blowing a two-TD lead to the Jags.
  • Stressed the rarity of the Chiefs beating themselves with turnovers and noting stats that place the loss in historical context (first in four years to win turnover battle and lose). (30:05–32:32)

Return to Form (“The World is Right Again”)

• Back to Dominance

  • After a statement win:
    • Mahomes regains MVP favorite status
    • Chiefs are Vegas’ Super Bowl favorites
    • Wright relishes the quick turnaround that forced media critics to “eat it immediately”:
    • “All is right in the world again. Pretty happy this one...” (Demanze, 32:32)

• Ref Whining & Media Scrutiny:

  • Lampoons Detroit Lions players and fans for “whining” about officiating, referencing a much-cited but misunderstood study about playoff penalties involving the Chiefs (36:16).

The AFC Gauntlet and Playoff Push

• Crucial Stretch:

  • Buffalo, Denver, and Colts on the schedule—these weeks would decide playoff seeding and division races.
  • Chiefs defense praised for shutting down Jonathan Taylor and the Colts:
    • “...just a remarkable job by that Chiefs defense.” (Demanze/Nick, 44:14–46:28)

• Defensive Struggles Persist:

  • Even as Mahomes performs statistically at the top of the league, the Chiefs struggle to get off the field on third downs, particularly in losses to the Cowboys, Chargers, Broncos.
  • “...poorly timed turnovers by the Chiefs in previous games and the total inability...to make impact plays on defense might wreck the season. It’s very precarious. It’s the most precarious it’s ever been in Kansas City.” (Demanze, 65:20)

Catastrophic Ending: Mahomes Injured, Dynasty Derailed

(75:10 – 89:00)

• Mahomes’ Season-Ending Injury:

  • With the Chiefs needing to win out (and get help) for the playoffs, Mahomes goes down with a torn ACL and LCL.
  • Wright reflects:
    • Expresses sympathy for Mahomes, but also frames it as a cruel normalcy in sports.
    • “It was the Chiefs’ turn to have the year from hell and it was sadly Patrick’s turn to roll craps…” (Nick Wright, 77:06)
    • Recalls how Brady, Manning, Rodgers, Burrow, Lamar and fan bases endured similar gut-punches.

• End of a Chapter:

  • Accepts this as a line of demarcation—a “before and after the ACL” moment for Mahomes’ career and the franchise.

• Perspective & Legacy:

  • Puts the run in context:
    • “As good of a seven year run as any football fan base has ever gotten. Seven years of conference championship games, five super bowl appearances, three super bowl victories.”
  • Points out the challenge of sustained greatness and necessity for structural team changes (drafting, developing, injury management).

• Looking to the Future:

  • “Do I think [Mahomes] comes back week one next year? Yes. What will the team around him look like is the question.”
  • Acknowledges the need to build back stronger around Mahomes.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “They are not going 11 and 6. The Chiefs. We don't need to spend more time on it. Everyone knew I was going Chiefs over because it is the right bet.” (Nick Wright, 02:53)

• On Mahomes’ early ‘playoff mode’ running:
  “It has forced him to activate playoff running Mahomes in weeks one and two. And I despise that because...it puts him in jeopardy.” (Nick Wright, ~11:30)

• On early season “panic”:
  “Right now the Chiefs don't deserve to be anything close to super bowl favorites. ...Anyone trying to peddle, ‘wow, should they be worried about making the playoffs?’ I think has lost their mind.” (Nick Wright, 15:40)

• On Personal Investment:
  “I didn't really sleep last night... Now you know how I can tell your mom knows I'm in a teetering emotional place…” (Demanze/Nick, 28:21)

• On devastating Mahomes injury:
  “It was the chief's turn to have the year from hell and it was sadly Patrick's turn to roll craps and he was fighting through a knee injury the last few weeks. ... There is a cost to the 20 game seasons. There is a cost to the offensive line injuries. There is a cost to...being in must win, gotta have it elimination games this early in the season.” (Nick Wright, 77:06)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Confident preseason Chiefs predictions: 02:53–04:39
• Legendary Mahomes-Mayfield college stats: 05:32–07:30
• Early red flags - running game, O-line, Kelce struggles: 07:31–14:55
• Division odds and Mahomes-centric turnaround story: 16:10–20:05
• Media ‘overreaction’ after slow start: 24:00–26:30
• Blown lead vs. Jags, historical oddity: 30:05–32:32
• Refereeing/“Chiefs bias” backlash: 35:50–38:29
• Midseason playoff gauntlet, defensive standouts: 44:14–46:28
• Chiefs playoff math & Mahomes injury fallout: 75:10–89:00
• Franchise perspective & future: 81:22–87:30

Tone & Style

Nick Wright’s delivery is a blend of passionate fandom, hard-won football expertise, and a comedic, dramatic flair. He swings from statistical breakdowns to personal anecdotes, wielding both bravado and raw honesty. Demanze provides grounding reactions and sets up Wright for extended rants and stories.

For New Listeners: Why This Episode Matters

This episode offers a masterclass in how expectation, struggle, and crisis intertwine in sports—especially for a newly minted NFL dynasty. Nick Wright’s candor and perspective is both cathartic and insightful for Chiefs fans (and NFL fans at large), capturing the stakes, heartbreak, and cyclical nature of football greatness.

Learn how one of football’s greatest runs hits a wall, what it means for a transcendent star to go down, and how a franchise must now reckon with both its immediate failures and its future.