Will the Chiefs Miss the Playoffs? NFL Insiders Sound Off on Mahomes, KC's Struggles

The Kansas City Chiefs have been the most dominant team in the AFC for nearly a decade, but they're now in danger of missing the playoffs amid their continued struggles this season.

At 5-5, the Chiefs trail the Denver Broncos by 3.5 games for first place in the AFC West, putting their run of nine straight division titles in jeopardy. They're also ninth in the AFC overall, so they will have some work to do if they want to crack the top seven.

CBS Sports' Jonathan Jones spoke to multiple coaches and executives who tried to make sense of Kansas City's down year following their incredible run of dominance.

"To me the thing that is catching up with them is fatigue and age," one offensive coach told Jones. "They have played so many seasons in a row into the month of February it just eventually takes a toll on your body and I don't think their depth, especially on the offensive and defensive lines, has developed to a point to let their stars rest like Chris Jones."

"Their losses have come to playoff teams on one score games. They used to win those. I don't think it is a "sound the alarms" situation," a front office executive added. "... The lack of consistency and attention to detail overall is holding them back in the close games they used to always wins."

The Chiefs suffered a major letdown when they failed to complete the first three-peat in modern NFL history, losing to the Philadelphia Eagles 40-22 in Super Bowl LIX last season. While they kept the band together to try to make another run toward the mountaintop, the wear and tear is starting to mount on their aging roster, creating a lack of consistency and championship-caliber effort.

"The league saw Philly beat them down. And not just beat them but actually pummel them," a defensive coach told Jones. "Then they start the season with a loss in Brazil and again to Philly. Doubt starts to creep in."

Still, until it's all said and done, many still have confidence that star quarterback Patrick Mahomes can carry Kansas City to the postseason once again.

"They will turn the corner because Mahomes is too good," the same front office exec predicted. "There's maybe more frustration than [a lack of] confidence. They have played in too many big games with this core to lose that."