Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid Quotes
October 2, 2025
OPENING STATEMENT: “I really don’t have any injuries to mention. Everybody is going to practice today. Jacksonville is a good football team, and we look forward to the challenge of playing them. (Head Coach) Liam (Coen) has stepped in there and (has) done a nice job with that group along with his coordinators and coaches. They’ve got tremendous talent, and it shows on both sides of the ball and on special teams. They’re leading the league in turnovers or number one defense. You can start naming a ton of things on both sides of the ball that they’re really good at. So, I look forward to the challenge. Times yours.”
Q: What stands out about the Jaguars in terms of their defense and forcing turnovers?
REID: “They (Jaguars defense) catch the ball well, first of all and they’re disciplined in their lanes on their zone drops. Opportunistic on tipped balls, and then they’ve stripped out a couple of balls. They go after it; you have got to make sure you’re aware of that as you play them. For sure.”
Q: The team has only one turnover this season. How do you guys protect yourselves?
REID: “We emphasize it, I guess. It really comes down to the guys doing it and the guys have done a nice job keeping it high and tight when needed and not having tipped balls, all the things that kind of lead to those. This is a potential weather game, so you add that into it too, you have got to make sure you really take care of the football.”
Q: On the performance of Trey Smith and the offensive line so far.
REID: “We’re getting better there as we go (and) as they play together more. Trey (Smith) is a beast, and he gets in there and he will battle with anybody – tough guy. Like I said the other day, it doesn’t all have to be pretty, you want to get the job done and they’re kind of doing that right now. We got some young guys that are getting better.”
Q: How has Brashard Smith shown you that he’s able to handle getting more reps?
REID: “Well, literally being able to handle it is half the battle. From a mental standpoint, he’s (Brashard Smith) picked it up well. He’s in a good room where guys can help him and have done some of things that we’re asking him to do in the past. He’s willing to listen. He is a very humble kid and works hard.”
Q: On Jaguars head coach Liam Coen and 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh’s confrontation.
REID: That goes on. So, if you’re going to put a sign out there – I just gave you one and you didn’t see it (laughter). If you’re going to put it out there, guys are going to look at it and try to sneak it from you. The headsets have kind of taken away a little bit of that. But that’s what it is, it’s all part of it and kind of move on.”
Q: Have you had any conversations like that after a game?
REID: “No, but listen those guys know each other, that’s the thing. They’re buddies, competitive, and were at the same place last year. It gets brotherly you know. They start arguing. That’s all right, they’re alright.”
Q: On Jawaan Taylor’s last performance in Jacksonville and his mentality going into this game.
REID: “Well, it’s home and he did play there at the same time. I’m sure it will be emotional for him that way, and he knows the other part of that. He knows he has to focus in on not being too quick off the ball, but at the same time being quick. You have to be on time, spot on. He’s worked hard at that.”
Q: How impressive is it to see Jacksonville have character within their team, especially with a new coaching staff?
REID: “I think it’s great. It’s great for the league and it’s legit. They’re playing good football, and they’re coaching well. You can see the guys are listening to them and doing what they want. My hat goes off to them. Overall, it’s good for the league to have that kind of competition for sure.”
Q: With depth in the wide receiver room, will you evaluate each player week-to-week on how to use them?
REID: “There’s one ball and the guys know that. As long as you stay humble with it and you don’t get that hungry thing where you start wanting it and then don’t play. But the guys have done a great job, and they’re all good buddies and they’re kind of pulling for each other. You want to maintain that. That’s a tough thing though. When you have a number of guys, what’s real is there is one football.”
Q: On the offense’s performance against the Ravens.
REID: “There was some good things and there are some things we have to go work on. Can we be better, absolutely on the offensive side. (Offensive Coordinator) Matt (Nagy) has done a good job of finding things with (Pass Game Coordinator) Joe Bleymaier and these guys have been finding things that work for the guys that are playing. The offensive line did their thing, but they have another huge challenge this week. This defensive line is a good one, so it’s – every week is its own deal. But this past week there was some good things that took place, but we have to keep building on that.”
Q: On Travis Hunter playing both sides of the ball.
REID: “(If) you get a good player you’d love to be able to do that. I think (Former Patriots WR) Troy Brown did it for a little bit (as) a receiver, DB, nickel position. It takes a special guy to jump in there to be able to do that. My hat goes off to the kid (Jaguars WR/CB Travis Hunter). It’s hard being a rookie, and then really hard knowing both sides of the ball.”
Chiefs Player Quotes
October 2, 2025
QB PATRICK MAHOMES
Q: On what stands out from the Jacksonville Jaguars defense.
MAHOMES: “First off, they’re very fundamentally sound and when you have a fundamentally sound defense that talented with the amount of players that they have at every single level of the defense, that’s a hard defense to go against and they do a good job attacking the football. They’re causing the turnovers. It’s not like the turnovers are happening, they’re punching the football out, tipping passes. They’re intercepting the football when they get their hands on it. It’ll be a great challenge for us; we have to make sure that we’re fundamentally sound as well. We can’t give them any opportunity because they’re capitalizing on them.”
Q: On Jaguars DE Josh Hines-Allen.
MAHOMES: “He’s (Jaguars DE Josh Hines-Allen) just the perfect build for a defensive end. Fast, he’s tall. He just has a great variety of pass rush moves, and then he can drop in coverage if necessary, as well. He’s done a great job in this league for a couple of years now and so I think he’s kind of in that perfect moment where he is a veteran and knows the veteran stuff but has the athletic ability to make stuff happen as well. Great football player that we’ll have to account for every play.”
Q: On what stood out to him against the Baltimore Ravens.
MAHOMES: “The execution I think was the biggest thing. Obviously, the guys made plays, and we were able to score a lot of points but I’m always big on the execution (and) executing on the plays that are called and everybody being on the same page. I think that was something we did at a very high level this last game and something that we can hopefully continue to do as the season goes on.”
Q: On his decision to stay in the pocket longer instead of trying to run.
MAHOMES: “It just continues to build trust with the offensive line, and they’re (offensive line) doing a great job of pass protecting. For me, just to be able to trust that sitting in the pocket maybe that extra tenth of a second and then give guys chances down the field. Something I continue to get better at now, but I think I did a better job of that this last week for sure.”
Q: On what goes into the play like his touchdown pass to JuJu Smith-Schuster.
MAHOMES: “We schemed it up very well where we knew the coverages that the defense was playing down there and we knew that it was going to be a tight window, but the way they (Baltimore Ravens defense) played their coverage there was a spot on the thing and JuJu (Smith-Schuster) ran the route perfectly and so I was ready to throw on-time. We had an option to go after that obviously, but the window was big enough for me to throw the ball and then a physical catch by JuJu there in the endzone and making the play happen.”
Q: On why they don’t have many turnovers despite the tight window and deep throws.
MAHOMES: “That’s basically the guys that are making the plays. I’m giving guys chances down the field and they’re making plays happen. It’s either them or nobody else. That’s something that we preached all offseason. It’s good to see that success happening, and let’s continue with it as the season goes on.”
Q: On the Jaguars Head Coach Liam Coen sign stealing allegations and if he has to be cognizant of it.
MAHOMES: “I honestly don’t really understand. We switch signals every single week so – I have no idea honestly. It’s something that I don’t necessarily understand, but we’ll make sure we switch our signals I guess (laughs).”
Q: How much time do you spend learning new signals and things like that each week?
MAHOMES: “For us, we scout the defense, and we try and learn what we can from them as far as their coverages and stuff like that. For us, we switch signals every single week knowing that the game is on TV and teams watch that. We try to make sure we’re interchanging that sign stuff so they (opponents) can’t get a beat on what we’re trying to do.”
Q: Have you watched extra film on Jaguars DB/WR Travis Hunter?
MAHOMES: “I haven’t watched a ton. Obviously, I watched his (Travis Hunter’s) defensive snaps but I know that he was a super talented player in college, and it was fun to watch him at Colorado make plays happen and coming out in the draft process I always watch those receivers. He’s special when he gets the football in his hands and to be able to break tackles and make guys miss and then seeing him play defense now, he’s done a great job obviously with this defense and a great job in this scheme of playing man and zone and being around the football as well. A special football player and someone that we’ll have to account for when he’s out there on the field.”
Q: On his thoughts about Brashard Smith this past week.
MAHOMES: “He’s (Brashard Smith) done a great job. Just like any other rookie in this offense, you kind of give more and more every week and he’s done a good job of taking it in and going out there and executing at a high level. We’ll continue to do that. It helps that he played receiver a lot so he can run routes and he also played running back so he can run between the tackles and those are special football players to have because it keeps the defenses guessing and that’s what you want to do, you want them on their heels and then be able to attack them a variety of different ways.”
Q: On how to keep the offensive edge going into this week.
MAHOMES: “There’s still a lot to learn. Early in the first half there were some of those drives that stalled out like we had been doing earlier in the season, so trying to find ways to execute especially earlier in football games to build leads. Like I’ve always said, when you build a lead with (Defensive Coordinator Steve) Spags calling the defense it really unleashes him to go out there. We’ll continue to work at the little things, fundamentally and try to all be on the same page, so that we can execute at a higher level early and then keep that momentum through the rest of the game.”
Q: Are you aware of what’s going around the division and league before you play in the later games?
MAHOMES: “Yeah but like you said it’s early in the season, so we know we still have a lot coming our way, but I’m obviously rooting against them (the division opponents). If I see the Giants are winning, I’m happier than if they weren’t winning. I’m not necessarily keeping up to date like all the time but if it’s on the TV or if I’m at (GEHA Field at) Arrowhead (Stadium) and they show a highlight, I’ll definitely look and see who is winning the game.”
Q: Have you talked to Tyreek Hill since his injury on Monday night?
MAHOMES: “Yeah I mean I talked to him (Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill) a little bit but more than anything just sending prayers his way because you never want to see that happen in football and it’s part of the game, but it’s a terrible part of the game and I know how he works so I’m excited to watch his comeback now. He’ll get to work and be back at it, but obviously praying for him and his family because you never want to see that on the football field.”
Q: On being the youngest player to throw 250 passing touchdowns in a career and if Aaron Rodgers had reached out to him.
MAHOMES: “I have not heard from him (Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers). I think he was just in Dublin, so I don’t know if he wants to reach out from there but to pass him as far as right now is really cool. But I have a long ways to go on the amount of touchdowns he’s thrown and that was someone I watched growing up. I’ll continue to just get better and better and try to score as many points as possible and more than anything win as many football games as possible and I think that at the end of my career I’ll be happy with where I’m at.”
Q: On if Xavier Worthy exceeded his expectations coming back from an injury.
MAHOMES: “Obviously, just you never know with coming off an injury but that’s what I expected from the beginning of the season. I think the best way to put it is he’s (Xavier Worthy) a guy that can win one-on-one against really everybody in the league, and so when you have that much explosiveness and you can run routes like he does, it brings a lot of attention to him. You saw that they had to make decisions if they were going to play man coverage or rather play zone coverage and then it helped get other guys open as well. As well as just bringing energy. He has a lot of energy on the football field (and) he’s got celebrations it seems like every single week. I think that’s contagious, and it brought energy to the entire sideline and the entire team. It was a great thing to get him out there.”
Q: Does Nohl Williams physicality stand out to you?
MAHOMES: “Yeah, I think for sure. Usually, I have a pretty good feel – especially the DBs and stuff like that. I was talking to (Defensive Backs Coach) Coach (Dave) Merritt and (Defensive Coordinator) Coach (Steve) Spags early about just the way he (Nohl Williams) played. Obviously, the physicality, but he’s in the right spot all the time, and he’s in the right coverage. He has a good instinct for being around the football, and I think that’s something that’s hard to learn. You kind of have that or you don’t. He’s done a great job. I haven’t been able to watch a ton of their film, but I’m watching the coverages that I’ve seen, and he’s done a great job this year and I think he’ll continue to get better.”
Q: How much do you enjoy being a mentor to the younger guys?
SMITH: “It’s cool. It’s a great responsibility, just trying to help bring everybody along (and) alongside Creed (Humphrey) as well and Jawaan (Taylor) as well. Being the older guys in the room to help guide the younger guys and uphold a standard. Like I said, sort of top to bottom leadership of (Offensive Line) Coach (Andy) Heck and (Assistant Offensive Line Coach) Corey Matthaei. So, we’re dictating and then we just make sure we uphold the standard.”
Q: What are the challenges the Jaguars bring?
SMITH: “The Jaguars are an extremely talented defensive front. (There) are a lot of veterans in that unit as well. They do a really good job of – they’re a good football team first and foremost but especially up front. Their defensive line is sort of the heartbeat of their defense, and they do a phenomenal job. It’s the NFL, everybody is going to be good week in and week out. It’s going to be a challenge up front but we’re going to prepare, and we’re going to attack and like I said I can’t give enough credit to those guys for how well they played the game this year.”
Q: On Josh Simmons and his high pocket moments.
SMITH: “He’s (Josh Simmons) had a lot (of moments). I really like Josh (Simmons) and what he has done. The talent level that he has, for me I think the sky is the limit for him. It’s really fun being able to watch him and try to help him out, with any facet his game and just be a resource for him because that is just how much I believe in him and obviously with Kingsley (Suamataia) as well and how talented he is. It’s fun watching 71 get out there and (is) doing his thing. There is a reason he got drafted where he got drafted and I think the sky is the limit for him.”
LB LEO CHENAL
Q: What made your interception against the Ravens so special?
CHENAL: “I was saying that to the guys, this is the first one (interception) that I actually made an athletic or DB type play. It was pretty cool and really then thing was plastering on the down that (Ravens QB) Lamar (Jackson) is going to extend plays. So, it was plastering on the down and being able to read his (Ravens TE Mark Andrews) eyes and just get my head around and do my best to make a play.”
Q: What does it mean to you that guys like Trent McDuffie praising you after your interception?
CHENAL: “It’s special because a lot of times they will say, hey great job in the run game or knocking somebody back. So, you got guys like Trent (McDuffie) and those dudes (defensive backs) saying that is a huge compliment. I just (have) got to keep it going to prove it’s not just a fluke.”
Q: With a running back like Travis Etienne, what do you have to be mindful of?