For the first time in the Patrick Mahomes era, the Kansas City Chiefs may no longer be the hunted.
They’re certainly hunting, especially for a playoff spot. Having dropped three of their last four games, things aren’t going swimmingly at 1 Arrowhead Drive. Thanksgiving Day’s 31-28 loss to the Dallas Cowboys served as a reality check, surely.
Was the wake-up call effective? That answer will be revealed over the next several weeks. Despite his team’s back being against the wall, head coach Andy Reid remains confident.
Andy Reid Confident Chiefs Can Run the Table
Speaking to the media on Monday, Reid was asked whether the Chiefs can win their next five games and, thus, likely make the playoffs.
His answer didn’t lack any confidence.
“I believe that,” Reid said. “If you’re coming to me on this, Matt [Derrick], I’m telling you we’re going to go after you every game. That’s how we roll. We’re going to try to tickle your tonsils on every play, every game. That’s the attitude we’re coming in with. Then you let the chips fall where they may, but at the same time, you’ve got to make sure you take care of the small things here that we’ve got rolling. We’ve got to make sure that we get rid of some of these mistakes. There’s not a game we go into that I don’t think we’re going to get after you.”
After going undefeated in one-score games a season ago, Kansas City is 1-6 in such contests in 2025. Rotten luck, but more importantly poor execution and timing, have led to a course correction. Having dropped multiple games to teams in the AFC playoff hunt adds salt to the wounds.
It’s been a trying season, but Reid thinks his group can and will persevere.
“Listen, every season is different,” Reid said. “This is a sport of challenges, that’s what it is. It’s probably a microcosm of life, as you look at it. There’s always challenges. To win a game in the National Football League, there’s such a small margin between winning and losing that every week is a major challenge. That’s the way you have to approach it, and then you have to be ready for it as players and coaches. You’ve got to be ready for that and when given opportunities, you’ve got to take advantage of opportunities.”
Where Do Kansas City’s Playoff Odds Sit Entering Week 14?
Takes on the Chiefs’ likelihood of making the playoffs vary. A .500 record complicates matters, especially when factoring in context of schedule. Reid’s team lost to the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 1 and the Denver Broncos in Week 11, putting their AFC West outlook on life support. Defeats at the hands of the Jacksonville Jaguars (Week 5) and Buffalo Bills (Week 9) give those squads head-to-head tiebreakers.
Heading into Week 14, the Chiefs sit 10th in the conference playoff picture. They trail all four of the aforementioned teams, as well as some top dogs and the eight-seeded Houston Texans and the nine-seeded Pittsburgh Steelers.
NFL gives them a 37% chance of getting into the big dance. That’s of course, prior to Sunday Night Football versus Houston. The Athletic puts them remarkably close at 36%. One site, PlayoffStatus, lists them at just 24%. A different one, FTN Fantasy, has Kansas City near a coin flip at 47.3%. That’s 1.1% ahead of the Chargers, who have two more wins and the direct triumph from Week 1.
The Chiefs’ season is far from over, but Week 14 could serve as a massive swing in either direction. There’s minimal margin for error moving forward.
As Mahomes said on Thanksgiving, it might take winning every game and hoping that’s enough.
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