What do the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots have in common, aside from the fact that they are the two teams who will square off in Super Bowl XLIX?

They were both beaten by the Kansas City Chiefs this season.

Such a maxim would imply that the Chiefs were another powerhouse, contending team in the league. How else could a team conquer the two best teams in the league?

Alas, that’s not true. The Chiefs went a meddling 9-7, missing the playoffs altogether. They may have been able to defeat some of the league’s top teams, but they also fell to laughing stocks like the Oakland Raiders and the Tennessee Titans.

Such is life for a Chiefs fan. The team hasn’t won a playoff game since 1994, when Joe Montana was under center. In other words, before any student at De Soto High School was alive.

What’s the problem here? Are the Chiefs cursed? Unfortunately, its not appropriate to cast blame on supernatural forces. The problem – or problems, rather- lie within the Chiefs.

If you followed football at all this year, you probably know that the Chiefs went the entirety of the 2014 season without throwing a touchdown pass to a wide receiver.

Many questions arise from this alone. Is this a result of Andy Reid’s offense? Should we count Travis Kelce and Anthony Fasano, our two tight end threats, as receivers? Is this excusable since we have Jamaal Charles, arguably the most talented running back on the planet?

While all of those are potential excuses, they don’t account for the fact that there simply was little to no production from the wide receiver position this year. If the Chiefs wish to contend in 2015, they need to improve in this area.

However, to allude to fellow Kansas City sports figure Ned Yost, good wide receivers don’t just grow on trees. It will either take serious scouting and luck in the draft to land a top prospect, such as former Missouri Tiger Dorial Green-Beckham, or, if John Dorsey and company decide to look elsewhere in the draft, the team could explore free agent options, such as Randall Cobb or Jeremy Maclin.

One piece won’t fix the Chiefs’ wideout woes. The team will need to add a couple of players to improve, and also need added production from the current corps. Rookie Albert Wilson impressed late in the season, and will likely find himself in a deep threat role next year. Junior Hemingway stood out as well, before a hamstring injury shut him down for the second half of the season. DeAnthony Thomas was worked into a role that extends past just kick return duties, and seems to be a large part of the team’s future.

One notable omission from this list is longtime Chief Dwayne Bowe. He’s due to make 11 million dollars next season. 11 million dollars for a guy who caught 60 passes last year. If the Chiefs are sensible this offseason, Bowe will be in a different uniform next year.

Bowe isn’t the only player who the team will need to cut ties with in order to provide financial relief for next year. Backup quarterback Chase Daniel impressed in his Week 17 start against Pittsburgh, but is still being paid a lot of money for a backup QB.

Outside linebacker Tamba Hali may find himself on the chopping block as well, due to the emergence of Dee Ford as a potential complement to pass rush superstar Justin Houston.

Houston is another matter the team must address this offseason, as his contract has expired and he is an unrestricted free agent. The team could franchise tag him to make sure he’s still in red and yellow next year, but would much rather lock him up long term.

This wouldn’t come cheap. Houston likely would want to be the highest paid player at his position, which would call for a serious raise in salary.

The Chiefs need to focus on both winning now and looking at the long term future of the franchise. Locking up Houston for long term would be a big step in that direction.

Another way to improve youth and talent is through the draft. In addition to their first round pick, the Chiefs have their second round pick for the first time since 2012.

The two biggest needs for the team are at wide receiver and offensive line, so they will likely address both in the first two rounds of the draft to fill needs with young talent.

The Chiefs have spent the past few years dabbling in success, making the playoffs twice in the past 5 years. They typically aren’t seen as a title threat, but also not as bad. In order for the team to leap into contender talk and make some noise in the NFL, they’ll need to make some important moves this offseason.