Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid Quotes
October 19, 2026
OPENING STATEMENT: “So as far as the game went yesterday afternoon, I would tell you that there's not a lot different than what I mentioned to you. I thought, defensively, we did a really nice job of executing the plan that (Defensive Coordinator Steve) Spags (Spagnuolo) put together with the coaches there. I thought our defensive line—(Defensive Line Coach) Joe (Cullen) had those guys rolling and they were able to get to the quarterback. I felt like the secondary was tightened up there. (Defensive Backs Coach) Dave Merritt does a good job back there, but it was tightened up and those guys gave the D-line an extra step there to work with and they were able to do a nice job for us up front. So, and then offensively, there was some really good things. I mean, there were 400-plus yards of offense, but we’ve got to take care of those red zone areas and then still work the short yardage stuff. We've got to be very consistent with our blocking in those areas if we're going to run the football, with the slant game going on, you can't miss a body there, and you’ve got to get a body on a body. And then the backs that we have, we'll take care of the rest of it for you and then special teams wise, we're doing some good things. There's just a lot of phases to special teams and being with the field goals, missing a couple of those doesn't help there. Got all kinds of trust in (K Harrison) Butker, but you’ve got to make the ones that are makeable obviously and he's been very consistent with that over his years here. Then the fumble on the punt was negative. The rest of the things we did a pretty good job with. And we’ve just got to—we can be a little bit more consistent there. Anyways, with that, time's yours.”
Q: On T Josh Simmons and WR Rashee Rice.
REID: “(T) Josh (Simmons) is still probably going to be ramping up as we go. (WR) Rashee (Rice), we'll have to see. I haven't seen Rashee today, but he's been here every day and he'll be coming in here in a minute. So, we'll see where he's at, but I appreciated the guys and how they played yesterday. (OL) Josh (Ezeudu) jumped in and played at the right tackle spot. I thought he did a nice job there, and he's got experience. I'm not real worried about all that.”
Q: On WR Andrew Armstrong’s performance.
REID: “Yeah, Pete (Sweeney), I thought when it came down to cut time and all that, I thought (WR Andrew Armstrong) he was that kid that was right on that border of being a practice squad guy or a roster move guy. And so, I had high expectations for him, but he did a nice job for us, most importantly and he did a nice job on special teams likewise. So, he's a good football player.”
Q: On how QB Patrick Mahomes embraced the under-center offense.
REID: “Yeah, so (QB Patrick Mahomes) he came from primarily a shotgun offense, and we started slowly getting him used to going under center, then he took to it. He just took it a couple years ago and just said, ‘Hey, listen, I like this. I mean, if we can mix it, that's even better.’ So, he felt really easy with that, and it was good. It's worked out well. And this year, with the running back situation we've got, I think those guys are very, very good from that home alignment there when Pat's under (center).”
Q: Have you seen the short yardage struggles as more of an execution issue or something that needs to change just creativity and scheme wise?
REID: “Yeah, well, listen, I would tell you both. We've got to block better on some, but at the same time, it's our responsibility to keep it what works. And so, I'm always going to take the blame on that, we can put the guys in a better position to do their job, but I think if you talk to the guys, they're going to tell you, ‘Hey, listen, we've got to block it better.’ I mean, when we run the football there. Then the pass part, they got us on the pass one. So that was a good job by them.”
Q: On WR Xavier Worthy’s performance.
REID: “Well, Vahe (Gregorian), listen, there's one football. That's the best way I can explain it, and we've got guys that the quarterback's been spreading the ball around to. So, it hasn't been just one guy catching the ball. Now, we’ve had some injuries, and so all of a sudden, (WR Xavier Worthy) he becomes a primary guy on quite a few of the routes, and so his numbers go up, but he's always had this ability and can do all of this. We've had the confidence that he can do all that. That's never been the question. I know I've been asked that a lot, but my answer's been the same. He's a good football player and it's just a matter of there's only so many plays and so many times you can spread the ball around, which I think is tough on a defense if you're able to spread it around.”
Q: How much have intermediate routes and diving catches become a strength of WR Xavier Worthy’s game?
REID: “Yeah, I think (WR Xavier Worthy) he's always had that. People look at him because he's a little bit smaller and he's fast, like real fast. And so, they think of him as just a deep threat. We've always looked at him like he can run shallow crosses, deep crosses. He can do all that stuff and very good at it. He's tough and he's smart, so you can move him around a lot in a lot of different spots, which we've done. It's just a matter of, again, we try to get the ball to all the different guys.”
Q: How would you kind of evaluate where the return game is for your team through five weeks?
REID: “Yeah, Matt (Foster), listen, we can do better in some areas there. Punt return, with the exception of yesterday, we've been relatively productive. We haven't had a ton of them, number-wise, but we've done okay there. And then kickoff return, we can continue to get better in that area and you're seeing this around the league, just with a lot of the penalties that take place on that. You’ve got to stay away from those. We're asking these guys to hold these guys, not literally hold them, but to hold up these blocks for quite a bit of time and that's not always the easiest thing to do.”
Q: It looks like DB Nohl Williams had a nice game, and he kind of got dinged up early and fought back in there, what does that say about where he is right now?
REID: “Yeah, they're playing physical is what they're doing. And when you do that, you're going to get dinged up just a little bit there and they did, they fought through, they were okay to do that. We try to keep a close eye on that, Todd (Leabo). So, we're not putting these guys where they can't function out there. But he's a tough kid, he's big for a corner, and he plays a physical game for a corner. But he's also doing a nice job in the coverage game. So, he, again, is very smart on and off the field. He's a smart kid, and he's using that to his advantage.
Q: Where is K Harrison Butker at, and where was your view of whether or not the two that were close, were in or not?
REID: “Yeah, listen, I've got to go off what the officials say on that, so I mean, but I've got trust in (K) Harrison (Butker). So that's the best thing I can tell you. Then he'll fix whatever the problem is. He'll fix it and get it taken care of. He works like crazy at that.”
Q: How does having physical corners add to the team?
REID: “Yeah, no, listen, it's important to have that, and we're fortunate to have it. That's not the way it is everywhere. If you're going to play for those two guys, you better be physical. That's kind of been a mindset here for the time that (Defensive Backs Coach) Dave (Merritt) and (Defensive Coordinator) Steve (Spagnuolo) have been working with those guys and Dave was an ex-linebacker, and he's got that mentality where you’ve got to tackle. You have to be able to do that. They work their fundamentals like crazy on that, too, Soren (Petro).”
Q: Do you find time to reach out to BYU Head Coach Kalani Sitake? Do you find time to watch what the Cougars are doing?
REID: “Yeah, try not to miss. I bleed blue, baby. Again, just like you're wearing that Syracuse thing, you wear those with pride. So those are—I do, I try not to boast about it, but I'm all in. All in, and (BYU Head Coach Kalani Sitake) he's doing a phenomenal job. He's a great guy on top of that. And if you can come in dancing and go out dancing, that's a heck of a day for you, and he's had a few of those.”
Q: What are your thoughts on the way OL Kingsley Suamataia responded in his performance?
REID: “Yeah, listen, I thought (OL Kingsley Suamataia) he played well, physical, aggressive. I thought he did a good job.”
Q: Do you have anything that you share with guys like RB Kenneth Walker when facing a team they previously played for?