After setting a franchise record with a 15-2 regular season and having the opportunity to achieve the first three-peat in NFL history, the Kansas City Chiefs suffered a devastating 40-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl. The Chiefs’ biggest problem in the Super Bowl was their weak offensive line’s inability to protect Patrick Mahomes from the Eagles’ excellent defensive front. The Eagles sacked Mahomes six times, the most in his 133-game professional career. Therefore, they have reinforced and changed the offensive line for the next season, although it will still be led by center Creed Humphrey.
Creed Humphrey: The NFL’s Top Center
Humphrey was selected 63rd overall in the 2021 NFL Draft and since then he has been one of the best, if not the best, center in the league. That’s why he was named to the NFL’s Top 100 at number 93, which might be considered too low as the two-time Super Bowl champion was named First Team All-Pro in 2024 and he was rated by Pro Football Focus as the best center in the league ahead of the 2025 season.
So the celebration of being the best in almost every metric for center ended with a reward from the players in the league who selected him as the 93rd player. He was the only center this year to make the list. The last center to make the NFL Top 100 list was Jason Kelce, who ranked 37th in 2023-the highest placement ever for a player at the position. Humphrey last season he had an incredible record of protecting his quarterback.
Last season, when Mahomes struggled in the Super Bowl, he didn’t allow any quick pressures all year. In other words, the 26-year-old didn’t allow any pressure on Mahomes in under 2.5 seconds in 653 pass-blocking snaps-including both sacks and pressures. That’s incredible.
Mahomes and the Chiefs’ Offensive Decline
During Mahomes’s first five years with the team, the offense set the pace and dominated opponents, finishing in the top 10 in yards and points each season. Over the past two years, however, the defense has become the key to the team’s competitiveness. Mahomes is entering his eighth season as the starter. Last season, however, he seemed mortal for most of the year.
He finished with the fewest touchdown passes (26) and the lowest yards per attempt (6.8) of his career. Additionally, he had the lowest yards-per-game average (245.5). The Chiefs ranked 15th in the league in points scored, the same ranking they had in 2023. This marked their worst finish in that category since the Alex Smith era.
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