The Kansas City Chiefs find themselves out of the NFL playoff picture before Week 14. Head coach Andy Reid, therefore, made sure to motivate Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and the rest of his players as the team enters a critical stretch of the season.
āLetās go. Youāre in the month of December and youāre still in it, so letās go. Thatās what important,ā was Reidās message to the Chiefs during his Wednesday press conference, as quoted by Charles Goldman of A to Z Sports.
Coming off a painful loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving, the Chiefs sit 10th in the AFC standingsāthree places shy of the 7th seed (currently held by the 8-4 Buffalo Bills), which grants the final Wild Card spot.
Can the Chiefs still make the 2026 NFL playoffs?
While the loss to the Cowboys hasnāt eliminated the Chiefs from the 2026 NFL playoffs, it left Reidās team in a precarious position. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Kansas City currently has a 34% chance of making the postseason.
Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes speak before a game against the Chargers.
At 6-6, Mahomes and company have no margin for error. They now enter a crucial run in their playoff push, starting with a Sunday Night Football showdown against the Houston Texans, currently 8th in the AFC (7-5). A win would increase the Chiefsā playoff probability to 58%, while a loss would reduce their chances to 11%.
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The Chiefsā schedule also includes must-win games against division rivals Los Angeles Chargers (8-4) and Denver Broncos (10-2) to try and climb from third place in the AFC West. While any setback could prove costly, their leader has shown nothing but optimism.
Before his encouraging message for Mahomes, Kelce and company on Wednesday, Reid put the Texans, Chargers, and Broncos on notice, warning everyone that the Chiefs are capable of winning all five remaining games.
Have the Chiefs ever missed the playoffs with Reid, Kelce, and Mahomes?
The Chiefs missed the playoffs just once with Reid and Kelce: that occurred in 2014, when both were in their second year in Kansas City. Mahomes, on the other hand, has always made the postseason so far.
In fact, since Mahomes took over as the starting quarterback in 2018, the Chiefs have constantly reached at least the AFC Championship Game, with five trips to the Super Bowlsāwinning three of them.
The 2025 NFL season is therefore changing the outlook for a team that got used to succeeding in recent years. For instance, the Chiefs have dominated the AFC West with consecutive division titles since 2016. That supremacy appears to be at risk this year.
