The Kansas City Chiefs are in unfamiliar territory - and not the kind they like. With three losses in their last four games, and a 6-6 record that currently has them sitting outside the playoff picture, the reigning AFC powerhouse suddenly finds itself in a late-season fight just to stay relevant in the postseason race.
But if you think Andy Reid is panicking, think again.
“We’re still in the mix, which is a great thing,” Reid said this week. “We need to tighten up a couple of things, and we’re right there to put a push on.”
He’s not wrong. We’ve seen what the Chiefs can look like when they’re firing on all cylinders - like during their three-game win streak back in October.
That stretch reminded everyone why this team has played in seven straight AFC Championship Games and hasn’t missed the playoffs in a decade. But that version of the Chiefs has been hard to find lately.
Instead, what we’ve seen is a team that can’t stop shooting itself in the foot - penalties, turnovers, dropped passes, and missed opportunities on both sides of the ball. The margin for error in the NFL is razor-thin, and Kansas City has been living on the wrong side of it.
“You look at our season, we’re one or two plays off,” Reid said. “We’ve got to take care of that.
Whether it’s a penalty at a crucial time, a turnover or having a chance to create a turnover. We’re in position where if we could figure out those two, three plays, you flip this around.”
That was painfully evident in their 31-28 Thanksgiving loss to the Cowboys. The Chiefs were flagged 10 times for 119 yards - a backbreaker against a Dallas team that doesn’t need help putting points on the board. Even Rashee Rice, who had a big night with two touchdowns and led the team in catches and yards, had a costly drop late in the fourth quarter that stalled a potential go-ahead drive.
And it’s not just one game. You can look back at losses to Buffalo and Denver earlier in the month and find similar patterns - missed tackles, blown coverages, drive-killing penalties.
These aren’t just bad breaks; they’re avoidable mistakes. And that’s what’s so uncharacteristic about this Chiefs team.
They’re used to being the ones who make other teams pay for those kinds of errors - not the other way around.
The six losses already match their highest total in a season since 2014. For a team that’s been the gold standard in the AFC for the better part of a decade, that’s jarring.
And yet, here’s the twist: statistically, the Chiefs are still one of the better teams in the league. They’ve outscored their opponents by 73 points this season - a number that, according to expected win-loss metrics, should have them sitting at 8-4.
They rank in the top 10 in points scored, points allowed, total yards, and yards allowed. On paper, they’re still elite.
But the scoreboard tells a different story.
“Yeah, so we do have stats, but you need points,” Reid said. “And you need to make sure you take care of business when you’re in the red zone.
If you need to score 35, you score 35. If you need to score 20, you score 20.”
It’s a simple truth: the Chiefs haven’t been capitalizing when it matters most. And in a league where games are often decided by a single possession, a single play, that’s the difference between 6-6 and 8-4.
Their struggles against top-tier competition are also hard to ignore. They’re just 2-5 against teams that would be in the playoffs if the season ended today. That’s not the kind of record that inspires confidence heading into December.
Still, Reid isn’t backing down. His message to the team - and to anyone questioning whether the Chiefs can get back on track - is loud and clear.
“I believe that,” Reid said when asked if he thinks the Chiefs can win out. “If you’re coming at me on this, I’m telling you we’re going to go after you every game.
You know how we roll. We’re going to try and tickle your tonsils on every play, every game.
“That’s the attitude we’re coming in with, and you let the chips fall where they may.”
It’s vintage Reid - confident, aggressive, and focused on what’s next. And with five games left, the Chiefs still control their destiny. But if they want to make another deep playoff run, they’ll need to clean up the mistakes, get back to their identity, and start playing like the team everyone knows they can be.
Because right now, “almost” isn’t good enough.