Chiefs' Playoff Hopes Are on Life Support - But Andy Reid's Been Here Before
The Kansas City Chiefs are in unfamiliar territory. After dropping their seventh game of the 2025 season in a tough Sunday night loss to the Houston Texans, the defending Super Bowl champs are now sitting at 6-7.
Not eliminated, but definitely not in control. For a team used to dictating the pace of the AFC, they’re suddenly the ones doing scoreboard watching.
And yet, if there’s one person who knows how to navigate a messy playoff picture, it’s Andy Reid.
This isn’t Reid’s first time leading a team through the backdoor of the postseason. Go back to 2008 - his 10th season in Philadelphia - and you’ll find a blueprint for hope.
That year, the Eagles stumbled into Week 17 at 8-6-1, needing a miracle just to make their final game matter. They got it.
The Texans beat the Bears. The Raiders shocked the Bucs.
And with the door cracked open, Reid’s Eagles kicked it off the hinges, blowing out the Cowboys 44-6 to punch their ticket.
That team didn’t stop there. They took down the No. 3 seed Vikings, then stunned the top-seeded Giants on the road before finally falling in the NFC Championship. It’s a reminder Reid hasn’t forgotten - and one he made sure to pass along to his current squad after Sunday’s loss.
“I mean, you hate for it to come down to that,” Reid said postgame. “But I have learned over the years that anything’s possible.”
That message hit a locker room still reeling from a game that slipped away. The Chiefs had poured everything into it - and came up short.
But Reid wasn’t trying to give a pep talk for the cameras. He was speaking from experience.
“You’ve got to pick yourself up and get yourself going again,” he said. “Hope is always a good motivator.”
The Long Road Ahead
Hope is still alive in Kansas City - but it’s going to need a lot of help.
First, the Chiefs need the Eagles to take care of business against the Chargers on Monday Night Football. That would drop L.A. to 7-7 and give Kansas City a shot to even things up with a win over those same Chargers next week. That’s step one of a four-game sprint the Chiefs would need to win out, finishing the season at 10-7.
But even if they run the table, the Chiefs don’t control their own destiny. The Colts - now down a quarterback with Daniel Jones out - would need to lose two of their final games. That’s not impossible, but it’s hardly a guarantee.
Then there’s the Chargers again. Kansas City needs them to drop two of their remaining three - either to Dallas and Houston in the next two weeks, or to Denver in Week 18.
And if it comes down to that final game, the Chiefs might find themselves in the strange position of cheering for the New England Patriots to stay hot. Why?
Because if the Broncos are still fighting for the AFC’s No. 1 seed, they’ll have every reason to go full throttle against the Chargers.
There’s also a more chaotic - but technically simpler - path: a full-on collapse by one of the nine-win Bills, or the eight-win Chargers or Texans. If any of them fail to reach 10 wins, it could open the door for Kansas City to sneak in.
A Familiar Feeling, A Different Team
This version of the Chiefs doesn’t have the same dominant aura we’ve grown used to. The offense has sputtered at times.
The defense, while solid, hasn’t been able to bail them out week after week. And yet, they’re still standing.
Still in the fight.
Reid’s message wasn’t just about math or playoff permutations. It was about belief.
About knowing that if you can somehow get into the tournament, anything can happen. He’s lived it.
And he knows that if this team can find its rhythm, even now, in December, they’re still dangerous.
So yes, the Chiefs need help. A lot of it.
But this isn’t uncharted territory for Andy Reid. And as long as there’s a path - no matter how narrow - he’s going to walk it.
Because in the NFL, as Reid reminded his players Sunday night, it ain’t over 'til it’s over.