Kansas City’s long-running dominance always felt larger than life, but this season has taken a sharp turn. The Chiefs, once a weekly certainty in the AFC, are now stuck at 6-6 and battling just to stay afloat in the playoff race. After a Thanksgiving loss to the Dallas Cowboys, fans and analysts began scrambling to explain what happened to the NFL’s most intimidating dynasty.
WNBA star Sophie Cunningham decided to take her own shot at the question. Speaking on her podcast Show Me Something with West Wilson, the Indiana Fever forward offered a more psychological and structural explanation than most. When Wilson raised the idea that, after four straight championship runs, the fifth year might naturally feel heavier, Cunningham expanded on the internal toll of trying to keep a powerhouse intact.
Cunningham, fresh off a 2025 Commissioner’s Cup title, said the key problem isn’t motivation but turnover. In her view, sustained success pushes players to seek deserved paydays elsewhere. “People want to go get their money, which they totally should,” she said. “People leave and then you lose that talent.” For Cunningham, the Chiefs’ biggest challenge is that once those pieces disappear, the replacements rarely arrive at the same level.
Patrick Mahomes is still performing like an elite quarterback, ranking fourth in passing yards with 3,238 and adding 22 touchdowns according to ESPN. Even so, the roster around him no longer resembles the polished group that helped Kansas City reach five Super Bowlsin six years. NBC Sports previously highlighted growing concern that depth issues could create cracks in the team’s identity, and this stretch of the season has made those concerns feel very real.
Not not over it… But I also think that when you do experience that and you don’t have all the the tools that you need, you know what you’re lacking. Do you kind of get what I’m saying? Like because people want to go get their money, which they totally should. They people leave and then you lose that talent
A dynasty showing its wear
Cunningham actually picked the Chiefs to win another Super Bowl as recently as November, but her confidence has cooled as the losses pile up. She doubled down on her belief that the team’s current slide isn’t about effort. It’s about the unavoidable consequences of success. “If you don’t replace it, everyone knows what you’re lacking,” she said.
The Chiefs now face a crucial primetime matchup against the Houston Texans, who have won five of their last six games and feature the NFL’s top scoring defense according to Pro Football Reference. A win would steady Kansas City’s footing. Another loss would make their playoff path even steeper.
And if you don’t replace it, then like everyone knows you’re lacking of what got you there the past whatever years
For Cunningham, the explanation is straightforward. Dynasties don’t collapse instantly. They start to crack when the pieces that built them start drifting away.
Read the full article here
