Andy Reid and Travis Kelce have message for Patrick Mahomes amid make or break Chiefs stretch

The Kansas City Chiefs find themselves in a precarious – and highly unfamiliar – situation.

With the Chiefs sitting with a lowly 6-6 record on the 2025 NFL regular season with just five games remaining, there is a legitimate possibility that they will fail to reach the postseason for the first time in the Patrick Mahomes era, and the first time since 2014.

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As it stands, the Chiefs currently have just a 34 percent chance of reaching the postseason

However, that number sky-rockets to 64 percent should they win their Week 14 clash against the Houston Texans, who boast the No. 1 overall defense in the league with WillAndersonJr. and Danielle Hunter leading the charge.

Ahead of a crucial must-win game at Arrowhead Stadium – where they hold a major home advantage – on Sunday Night Football, head coach Andy Reid has spoken out with a huge message for his franchise quarterback if they are to make the playoffs – and go on a potential Super Bowl run – once again.

During the Chiefs’ last outing in their record-setting Thanksgiving Day clash on the road to the Dallas Cowboys, Mahomes fired 291 total yards for four touchdowns, but it was all in vain due as they suffered a 31-28 defeat.

Reid, though, has highlighted that Mahomes needs to work on his chemistry with his wide out receiving corps, which has dealt with injuries for large parts of the 2025 season.

“Yeah, they’re [wide receivers] doing okay,” Reid said. “I was proud of one [Xavier Worthy] and four [Rashee Rice], they both pushed through some nagging things there with the ankle and the hamstring to get themselves out there and actually get out and play.

“They had some good plays and big plays for us. For the most part, yeah, they’re on the same page with the quarterback [Mahomes].”

Some touted the Chiefs dynasty to be over before the season even started, but Reid knows his team are still very much in the hunt to turn things around.

“Let’s go,” Reid told the media on Wednesday when asked what his message to the team was. “You’re in the month of December, and you’re still in it, so let’s go. That’s what’s important.”

“I’m big on reality, what’s real, why are we where we are (and) what can we do to fix that. That’s what I look at and try to give something – they have something they can work on.

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“Likewise, as a coach, that’s how I look at it for myself and the coaches. Where are the problems? Then let’s work on fixing those, and if you do that, it takes your energy to get it right, and that’s what we’re striving to do.”

Similarly star tight end, and Mahomes’ favorite target, Travis Kelce has spoken out on the discourse that the Chiefs are in ‘major panic’ mode, sending a warning to the NFL that they shouldn’t sleep on Big Red’s army.

“I’m sure everyone is sick of us saying it, but we’re a few plays away from being a one seed in my mind,” Kelce said on the latest episode of New Heights.

“All of the losses are within one score, and there’s a handful of plays within those games that are determining the outcome. It’s hard. It’s crazy that you watch the film and you see what’s real, and what’s real is we’re this (expletive) close.”

Kelce is among the 32 nominees for the Walter Payton Man of the Year award, the third time he has been recognised – although he is yet to claim the award.

Players can only win the award once, and with it get the privilege of wearing a special patch on their jerseys – although Kelce’s future next season remains in doubt with retirement a possibility.

Mahomes acknowledges Reid will put the team in the ‘best position to succeed’

Looking at the Chiefs’ performance from a numbers perspective, Kansas City have actually been better in almost every major statistical category, including points scored, yards per game and have a greater margin of victory than in 2024.

However, they have gone 1-6 in one-score games in 2025, a significant swing from going 11-0 in 2024, which has ultimately been the difference maker.

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Nonetheless, Mahomes – who has had to dig deep and unlock ‘Playoff Pat’ mode in recent weeks – will need to find time to recover and go again for the remainder of the season.

But this challenge has added difficulty due to the depleted offensive line in front of the two-time NFL MVP that is without hyped-up rookie tackle Josh Simmons, Jawaan Taylor and $94 million guard Trey Smith due to injury.

“I’m always talking to coach [Reid],” Mahomes said on Wednesday when asked about his dialogue with his head coach. “I mean, obviously we’re in a spot in the season where you can have some time off, but you’re looking ahead at how to get yourself better – to try to make a run.

“And I talk to all the coaches about things that I see and things that I think we can continue to get better and better at. At the end of the day, they’re going to they’re going to do what’s best for us and put us in the best situation to succeed.

“And I’ll give as much input as I can to help with that, but I trust they’re going to go out there and put us in the right position.”

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