Despite online speculation that the Kansas City Chiefs’ season is effectively over, the team still has four games remaining — and remains mathematically alive in the playoff race. So even as they acknowledge the difficulty of the task before them — winning four straight games to close the season after losing four of their last five — players and coaches know what they have to do.
“They want to get to work,” head coach Andy Reid explained to reporters on Wednesday. “That’s how they’re wired. So they’re eager
to get back on the field and get going.
“Everybody knows where we stand right now. They know what’s taken place — [and are] very aware. But they also like to work — so we’ll get back to it.”
“We understand we’ve got to win,” declared quarterback Patrick Mahomes. “That’s obvious. You’ve got to win the football game [with] whatever it takes. I mean, we say that every week — but obviously, [we’re] at that back-against-the-wall spot where you’re playing a team that you’re chasing that has a big lead in front of you, so you have to find a way to win. You have to have that mindset when you step on the football field.”
This is all unfamiliar territory for the team’s biggest star. As a starting quarterback, Mahomes has never failed to reach the AFC Championship. But Reid sees that his quarterback is continuing to handle the adversity.
“He’s great,” noted the coach. “He’s coming to work — and he keeps his head up at all times. [He] understands he’s in a leadership position — and he’s a good leader. [There’s] nothing you can do but try to get better. If you’re hanging your head, you’re not getting any better. [And you’re] surely not making anybody – including the whole team — [any] better.”
For Reid, getting the team out of its funk is about returning to the consistency that brought it the best record in franchise history in 2024.
“We’ve been up and down,” he observed, “so we need more consistency — and that’s what we’re striving to get here now. We’ve had some great days — [some] great plays — but you have to do it for four quarters in this business. We’ve got to be more consistent.”
For Mahomes, this starts with having great days at practice — and building from there.
“[It’s about] getting extra work in with the guys on the sideline — like I always do — and then when you’re in that practice you have conversations with guys and keep them in the right mindset,” he explained.
But he’s not doing it alone. Teammates like defensive tackle Chris Jones and tight end Travis Kelce predate his arrival — and Mahomes is relying on their perspective.
“We’re in an unprecedented territory,” he remarked. “Someplace that we haven’t been since I’ve been here. I think you lean on the guys [who] have battled through adversity and came out better on the other side. That’s Chris, Trav [and] all of these guys that have won championships.
“It hasn’t always been pretty, but [these games will] really test us to see what type of character we [have] — and I think we’ve got the guys in the room to do it.”
