KANSAS CITY, Mo. – It has been 11 years since Andy Reid has faced the prospect of a postseason without the Kansas City Chiefs. As the regular season approaches its conclusion, Reid is determined to avoid a prolonged drought for his team.
The New York Jets have not reached the playoffs since 2010, while the Las Vegas Raiders have made only two appearances in the last 23 years. The Cleveland Browns, since their re-establishment as an expansion team in 1999, have just three playoff berths over 27 seasons. Even the Indianapolis Colts, who started this season strongly with a 7-1 record, have recorded only two postseason entries in 11 years.
This season marks a significant change for Chris Jones, the Chiefs” defensive tackle who has known nothing but playoff appearances since being drafted in 2016. “Definitely was a learning curve this year,” Jones reflected on Thursday. “I appreciate the challenges. You learn a lot about yourself, and you have a lot of tough times throughout the course of 17 weeks. So, it”s been a journey, to say the least, but I learned a lot.”
Reid expressed a desire for the lessons from this season to culminate with a strong finish. He emphasized that he does not want to develop the mental calluses that have affected AFC franchises that routinely struggle. “I want to keep that a strange feeling,” he said, acknowledging the unusual situation of approaching the end of the season without playoff aspirations.
The Chiefs have not experienced this uncertainty in January for over a decade, with Reid admitting he does not like the current state of affairs. “You don”t like ending right now, obviously, but that”s what it is. And then you got to go back and fix things, make sure they”re right,” he stated.
Reid plans to engage in self-assessment as soon as the team returns from facing the Raiders, who are mired in a 10-game losing streak. Center Creed Humphrey noted how surreal this season has been. “In my five years now, every single year we”ve been at least in the AFC championship, so it definitely feels different,” he said. “But for us, it”s about focusing on this week, going out there and playing our best ball of the year and finishing the season the right way.”
The Chiefs are currently enduring a five-game losing streak, their longest since Reid became head coach. The last time they celebrated a victory was on November 23 against the Colts. Offensive coordinator Matt Nagy described the current situation as “weird” and “different,” acknowledging that conversations with other coaches around the league reveal a stark contrast in experiences as many gear up for the playoffs.
As the Chiefs prepare for their final game of the season, the focus remains on playing to the best of their abilities and avoiding the pitfalls of past seasons. The hope is to end the campaign on a positive note, setting the stage for a more successful future.
