Andy Reid is among the few head coaches acquainted with real sustained success in the NFL, but he's also very familiar with how quickly a team can fall from such heights. For the first time in his tenure as Kansas City Chiefs' head coach, the team finished with a losing record at 6-11 overall. It was also just the second time since Reid took over as Kansas City's head coach that the Chiefs failed to qualify for the playoffs.
Given his experience, Reid's perspective on the difference between winning and losing is important, which is why some recent comments are quite heartening for Chiefs Kingdom. Reid appeared on a recent episode of The Stephen A. Smith Show and was asked about his first losing season with the Chiefs.
"Yeah, so we were on top of the world, as they'd say, right, for a few years there, and doing well. And then you get a few hiccups in there and it just reminds you... That there's a small margin between winning and losing in this league," Reid said. "If you're off a tick, what you were 9-1 on close games a year before, your 1-9 isn't far away. And that's what we were this past year... It's a good reminder that you've got to recharge it and get yourself back going. And thank goodness every year in this league is a different story. So, you know, you get in and you try to fix problems and get rolling."
The Chiefs have experienced so much success since Reid became their head coach that it felt truly unfathomable for them to have a losing season. The team made it to seven straight AFC Championship games and reached the Super Bowl five times during that span.
But as Reid mentions, the "small margin" in close games went against K.C. time and again in 2025. That's not to say their issues were based on bad luck, but there is an element of regression to the mean coming in 2026 in general. It also means that Reid and his staff know that they don't necessarily have to tear it all down to the studs in order to find their way back to the postseason.
The hope is that the Chiefs learned from their many mistakes in '25 and can use those to be a better squad in 2026. Sometimes it doesn't take much, and Reid has more experience than most coaches when it comes to navigating adversity and getting a team back on track.
Add us as a preferred source on Google