The Chiefs Keep Saying They Need to “Clean It Up.” Here’s Why That’s Actually the Problem.
It started in Brazil. Not the penalties - those came later - but the phrase that’s come to define the Kansas City Chiefs’ season. After a Week 1 loss to the Chargers in São Paulo, Andy Reid stepped to the podium and offered a now-familiar refrain: “We’ve got to clean up.”
Since then, it’s become the go-to line. After an 0-2 start, after a 5-5 midseason record that felt jarring in the Mahomes era, and again on Thanksgiving after a loss in Dallas dropped them to 6-6 and outside the playoff picture - even in the most generous analytic models. “We’ll work on cleaning it up,” Reid said, unprompted.
It’s a phrase that’s been repeated so often in Kansas City this season, it’s practically become a slogan. But here’s the thing: it’s not just coach-speak.
It’s not just a cliché. It’s the truth.
And it’s the root of the Chiefs’ problems.
Because for all the talk of cleaning things up, the Chiefs haven’t. And the biggest mess?
It’s not the red zone offense or a lack of explosive plays. It’s the penalties - especially the ones that show up in the worst possible moments.
Let’s start with the basics. In four games this season, the Chiefs have been flagged at least 10 times.
They lost all four. That’s not a coincidence.
That’s a pattern.
And it’s not just the volume of penalties - it’s the kind. Kansas City leads the NFL in offensive holding calls with 29.
That’s not a stat you want to be leading. According to a study from Sports Info Solutions, holding penalties have the second-biggest negative impact on offensive expected points added (EPA).
So every time a flag flies for holding, it’s not just a setback - it’s a drive killer.
Five of those 29 holding calls have been declined, but the damage is still done. The offensive tackles have been particularly problematic, drawing 13 of those flags. Jawaan Taylor, in particular, continues to rack up more penalties than anyone in the league.
But it’s not just about how many flags they’ve drawn - it’s what happens after. The Chiefs are one of the best teams in the league at turning a first-and-10 into another first down or a touchdown - they do it 79% of the time, second-best in the NFL. But when a holding call sets them back, that efficiency plummets.
In their six losses, Kansas City has been flagged for 12 accepted holding penalties. They managed to turn just five of those into eventual first downs.
That’s a conversion rate of 41.7%. Essentially, when they get flagged for holding, they’re half as effective on that series.
And that’s a big deal for a team that doesn’t have the explosive play rate to bail itself out.
Let’s break that down even further. Of those 12 drives with accepted holding penalties, seven ended in punts or field goals.
Without the penalties, based on their season-long efficiency, they’d likely have punted only twice. That’s five lost drives - five missed chances for Patrick Mahomes to do what he does best.
And remember this: all six of their losses have come by one possession. The combined margin? Just 25 points.
These penalties aren’t just annoying. They’re costing them games.
Take last week in Dallas. According to NFLfastR data, offensive penalties alone dropped the Chiefs’ win probability by 16.1%.
Defensive penalties pushed it down another 30%. That’s nearly half of their win probability erased by flags.
No team in the league was more negatively impacted by penalties in Week 12.
It’s not an isolated case, either. In Week 11 against the Broncos, the Chiefs were the most affected team in the league by offensive penalties.
In Week 5 against the Jaguars, it was total penalties that did them in. Week after week, the flags are piling up - and so are the losses.
And here’s where it gets even more frustrating: this Chiefs offense still moves the ball well. They lead the NFL in yards per drive.
They’re second in points per drive. They reach the red zone more often than anyone in the league, according to FTN data.
But what they don’t have this year is explosiveness. Only 5.6% of their plays go for 20+ yards - that ranks 15th in the league.
That’s a steep drop from the peak-Mahomes years, when they could erase a 2nd-and-20 with a flick of the wrist. Back in 2018, they also led the league in penalties - but it didn’t matter.
They were explosive enough to overcome them.
That’s not the case in 2025. This version of the Chiefs has to be efficient.
They have to stay on schedule. They can’t afford to be behind the sticks, especially not repeatedly.
So yes, Andy Reid keeps saying they need to “clean it up.” And fans are tired of hearing it.
But the real issue isn’t the phrase - it’s that it still applies. The margin in the NFL is razor-thin.
And right now, Kansas City is slicing itself apart with self-inflicted wounds.
If the Chiefs want to get back to being the team no one wants to face in January, it starts with discipline. Fewer flags.
Cleaner execution. Fewer drives derailed before they even get going.
Because the path to the end zone - and the playoffs - doesn’t require magic. It just requires playing clean.