With the Kansas City Chiefs officially eliminated from playoff contention, attention has already begun to shift to what will happen in 2026. But inside the locker room, the focus remains on the final three games of the season — one that will end without a postseason berth for the first time in the Patrick Mahomes era.
While some fans may be comfortable with losing the final three games to improve the team’s draft position next April, that idea has found little traction at 1 Arrowhead Drive — as defensive
coordinator Steve Spagnuolo explained to reporters on Thursday.
“Our guys aren’t built that way,” he declared. “I don’t think there’s a coach — or a player — that’s built like that. I always say this: if we had a basketball court right out here and you took any six of the guys in that locker room and said, ‘Go play three-on-three,’ they would be knocking each other over to win the game — even if there was [just] a dollar on the line. That’s just how they’re built. So I don’t think that’ll change in the game.”
Defensive lineman Chris Jones and others maintain that pride — both personal and collective — remains the driving force.
“I mean, unfortunately, plans didn’t go as planned within the season aspect,” he said on Thursday. “But there’s still a name on the back of your jersey [that] you’ve got to play for.”
For Jones, that is enough motivation to play his best.
“It’s still opportunities for you to broadcast,” he said, “[to] finish strong as an individual and together as a team. So I don’t ever need to be motivated when I step on the field.”
Defensive linemen George Karlaftis and Ashton Gillotte expressed similar sentiments on Wednesday.
“I know one thing about this team,” observed Karlaftis. “[It’s] that whoever is going to get the opportunity is going to step up and make the most out of it. There’s guys that haven’t seen the field all year that are hungry — guys that want to prove what they’re made of. Whoever is out there is going to play to the best of their abilities and finish this thing out strong.”
Gillotte agrees.
“We just want to make people proud going into the last games,” he said.
Injuries remain a major factor across the roster. Those may now be seen as silver linings — because with postseason hopes gone, the team now has opportunities to evaluate younger players ahead of the offseason.
“We dealt with some injuries, and we’re dealing with some other ones this week,” noted Spagnuolo. “We want to finish strong here. We’ll take one game at a time and play really well in this game. We’re going to put [the] guys out there [who can] do that. But will some young guys get in there and play? Probably, yeah.”
Things are likely to be much the same on offense.
“For some of the younger guys that are on this team — that maybe haven’t played as much — maybe they get some more time,” said offensive coordinator Matt Nagy. “Maybe there’s a silver lining for somebody somewhere. That’s how you have to approach it.”
Still, it’s not a situation the organization wants to normalize.
“It’s not a fun spot,” admitted Nagy. “But it is a reminder to all of us in the building how hard it is to get to what we have done — and that you can’t take it for granted.
“It’s hard. When we get to training camp — [when we] get to the season — this is a feeling [we have] to remember.”
For Jones and his teammates, the mission is clear.
“Next year is still around the corner,” he remarked. “I want to finish strong — make sure the D-line [finishes] strong — with momentum going into next year.
“Unfortunately, we didn’t make it where we wanted to this year. But that gives us room to improve next year. Success is rented every year — [so] every year, you have to go out and earn it.
“Sometimes life doesn’t give you what you deserve. You get what you earn — [and] we didn’t earn it this year.”
