An already bad season for the Kansas City Chiefs turned worse on Sunday. Week 15’s loss to the Los Angeles Chargers was bad on many levels. Not only did it kick the reigning AFC champions from playoff contention, but it also saw quarterback Patrick Mahomes go down with a knee injury.
There aren’t many positives to take away from such a rough showing. It’s unfamiliar territory for Kansas City in the Mahomes era.
Despite that, head coach Andy Reid isn’t letting his team quit.
Andy Reid Sums Up Chiefs’ Attitude After Week 15 Loss to Chargers
Many would view Kansas City’s upcoming games as pointless. For a team that’s used to contending for championships, it’s now contending for NFL Draft positioning.
The Chiefs desperately needed to secure a victory on Sunday. It would’ve kept the season alive, allowing Reid’s group to cling to some playoff hope. After a 16-13 failure against a division rival, Reid made it clear he understands why his players are down in the dumps.
“The guys are down,” Reid said. “They busted their butt to win the game, and I wouldn’t expect anything less. It’s not a great feeling. I wouldn’t expect it to be after losing a game.”
But even with the postseason out of reach, that doesn’t give anyone an excuse to throw in the towel.
“Well, we’ve got to take care of business the next few games,” Reid said. “I mean, I’m just coming off the field. My mind was on this game here and taking care of it there. I wanted it to come out differently, obviously. I haven’t gone too much further than that.”
The Chiefs have three more games left to end the 2025-26 regular season. Sunday sees them take on the Tennessee Titans, followed by a Christmas Day game against the Denver Broncos. After that, it’s a to-be-determined showdown with the lowly Las Vegas Raiders.
Kansas City Players React to Not Making Playoffs This Season
Speaking to the media on Sunday night, defensive tackle Chris Jones described his teammates as “resilient.” He doubled down on everyone battling, regardless of what the scoreboard or odds tell them. A fitting encapsulation of that was Jones being unaware of the Chiefs’ elimination from the playoffs until his press conference availability.
For Jones, it’s the first time he won’t make the playoffs. The All-Pro has seen and done plenty as a Chief since 2016, winning the AFC West every year and reaching five Super Bowls (winning three of them). That success can drain players, coaches and front office staff alike.
Jones believes this is akin to a huge slice of humble pie.
“Every year is a journey,” Jones said. “Success is rented every year. Every year, you get to rent success. Sometimes, it doesn’t go the way you planned for it to go. It’s a learning curve for you guys, you know what I mean? Especially us. I think we learned a lot along this year and we understand the fact that in order to be successful, man, it’s an everyday thing. It’s not one week put in and the next week [not]. It’s a consistent thing.
“We had a lot of guys coming back — as long as they know that it’s rented every year. Just because last year’s team made it to the Super Bowl, that doesn’t guarantee a success, you know what I mean?”
It remains to be seen whether Kansas City will heavily involve stars like Jones in the next three games. He’s approaching it the same way no matter what.
“We’ve got three more games, which we’ve got to finish strong still as competitors, as employees of this organization,” Jones said. “I think it’s important to finish strong, play with pride and, most importantly, play for yourself. The name on the back of your jersey, but also the name on the front of your jersey. I think it’s going to be competitive for us, and we’re going to keep on going. Something to build on looking forward to next year.”
