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The Kansas City Chiefs have lost two out of their past three games as they enter a pivotal final stretch that begins with the Buffalo Bills, and head coach Andy Reid had a sort of rallying cry for his locker room heading into Week 14.
“We’re up and down right now. We’ve just got to get a little bit more consistent,” Reid told reporters on Monday, December 4. “In order to do that, everybody’s got to stick together.”
“And so, I’ve seen guys helping each other out,” the long-time HC went on. “I haven’t felt like anybody’s turned their back on each other, but it’s [never been] more important to be united together than now.”
The latest Chiefs loss to the Green Bay Packers dropped the reigning NFL champs out of the No. 1 seed — which means there is no guarantee of homefield advantage throughout the AFC playoffs. The Miami Dolphins and Baltimore Ravens each currently hold a one-game lead on Kansas City at 9-3.
Andy Reid Says Chiefs Are ‘Very Close’ to Playing Winning Football Again
Earlier in the Monday Q&A, Reid noted that the Packers won because they made fewer mistakes than the Chiefs did.
Often times, that’s the old adage in football. Games are lost more than they are won in a sport as precise as this. And making mistakes and turnovers will cost you.
He also voiced that KC is “very close” to putting it all together.
“As you guys know, in this league it’s a week-to-week thing,” Reid explained, using the San Francisco 49ers’ three-game losing streak from Week 6 through 8 as an example of that. Now the Niners look unbeatable again after a blowout victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.
“I understand that’s how it’s perceived outside our building,” he added. “Inside the building here though, we understand that [it’s a week-to-week league]. We understand that we’ve got to get better… The margin between winning and losing in this thing is small.”
NFL Pundit Rich Eisen ‘Not Concerned’ About Chiefs
On the December 4 episode of The Rich Eisen Show, NFL pundit Rich Eisen backed the Chiefs despite this minor skid dropping two out of three.
“I’ll say it one more time. I am not concerned about the Kansas City Chiefs,” Eisen stated boldly, repeating himself for emphasis.
He referred to the recent stretch as “middle of the season doldrums,” adding that we’re just not used to seeing this from the KC organization. The mistakes “can get cleaned up,” and “I don’t see [Patrick] Mahomes disintegrating to the point where he’s less than [in the past],” Eisen continued.
The long-time NFL host did acknowledge that superstar tight end Travis Kelce has been shut down with double and triple teams more often than not, voicing that “the way through is Rashee Rice.”
However, the remaining schedule and trust in Reid and Mahomes appeared to calm any concerns.
After Buffalo, the Chiefs finish with a perceived easy stretch of games. They play at New England, home versus the Las Vegas Raiders and Cincinnati Bengals (without Joe Burrow), and at the Los Angeles Chargers.
This led Eisen to conclude that even if Kansas City loses to the Bills, they should finish 12-5 and win the AFC West. Obviously, there are no guarantees in the NFL but getting this offense right for the playoffs is the overall worry from most.
At that point, they’ll have to match up with the Ravens and Dolphins of the conference — and as of now, those faceoffs could occur on the road.
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