Andy Reid's Chiefs Find Themselves In Unfamiliar Position Heading Into Final 5-week Stretch Of Season

Andy Reid’s Kansas City Chiefs are in a position they’ve rarely been in during his tenure as head coach. The Chiefs are currently on the outside looking in at the AFC playoff picture as the calendar turns to December. Reid spoke to the media Monday and talked about the challenges within a season and those his team faces heading into this final five-game stretch.

“Every season is different,” Reid told reporters. “This is a sport of challenges. That’s what it is. It’s probably a microcosm of life as you look at it. There’s always challenges. ... There’s such a small margin between winning and losing that every week is a challenge, a major challenge. That’s how you have to approach it, and you have to be ready for it.” 

Kansas City is 6-6 and currently sitting at 10th place in the AFC and third in the AFC West. Any hope of winning a 10th consecutive AFC West title is just about out the window as the Denver Broncos improved to 10-2 on Sunday night. The Chiefs are four games back for the division crown and two games behind the second-place Los Angeles Chargers, who improved to 8-4 in Week 13.

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The Chiefs are in danger of missing the postseason for only the second time since Reid became KC head coach in 2013, and that happened in his second season (2014) when the team finished 9-7. That was three years before Patrick Mahomes was even drafted. Since Reid came over from Philadelphia in 2013, the Chiefs have never finished .500, let alone with a losing record. 

After losing to Dallas on Thanksgiving, the Chiefs may need to run the table in these last five weeks and get some help just to get a wild-card spot in the AFC. Their remaining schedule has the Chiefs facing: Houston, L.A. Chargers, Tennessee, Denver and Las Vegas. 

“You’re one or two plays away and that’s what this game is,” Reid said. ”You look at our season, we’re one or two plays off, and we take care of that — whether it’s a penalty at a crucial time, a possible turnover somewhere, or having a chance to create a turnover — we are right in position where if we can figure out those two, three plays, you flip this around.” 

Penalties have been an issue for a normally disciplined team, as the Chiefs have piled up the fifth-most penalty yardage in the league this season. Defensively, they’ve produced very little by way of a pass rush with just 22 sacks through 12 games, which is fifth worst in the NFL. They forced just 11 turnovers this season, which is third worst in the league.

KC is running out of time for the first time in a long time. There are still 10 teams in the AFC with a legitimate shot at making the postseason, and the Chiefs cannot afford any more setbacks as they continue to fight for their playoff lives.

In Week 14, the Chiefs will play on Sunday Night Football in a huge AFC battle against the Houston Texans at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.