Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid Quotes
September 17, 2025
HEAD COACH ANDY REID
OPENING STATEMENT: “Alright, as far as the injuries go, Mike Danna won’t practice today and (Kristian) Fulton won’t practice today. Other than that, we look forward to the challenge of getting ready to play a good Giants football team. You can really see that they have a tremendous defense and a lot of skill on the offensive side. Their quarterback (QB Russel Wilson) is playing well right now. And (Giants Head Coach) Brian (Daboll) does – who you guys are familiar with, Brian does a good job, creative guy offensively, plus he’s got (Assistant Head Coach and Offensive Coordinator) Mike Kafka there on top of that, Mike’s a sharp kid. Defensively they have got a good scheme, one that we have played against a couple of different times when (Defensive Coordinator) Shane (Bowen) was at (the) Tennessee (Titans). It’s a good bunch there. Anyways with that, time is yours.”
Q: On Xavier Worthy and Jalen Royals practicing this week.
REID: “Yeah. They’ll (Xavier Worthy and Jalen Royals) practice today.”
Q: How is Jalen Royals coming along?
REID: “Yeah, he’s coming pretty good. We’ll just see how he does here. He’s been out for a while, I’d like to see how he moves around.”
Q: Are there any limitations on Xavier Worthy for practice today?
REID: “No, neither of them (Xavier Worthy or Jalen Royals).”
Q: Travis Kelce said there’s a lot on his plate. Do you think that Travis Kelce might have too much on his plate?
REID: “Yeah, no listen, I mean Travis (Kelce) made so many of those catches right there. I don’t think it is an age thing or anything, at that point. He’s fine. We try to keep an eye on him the best we can.”
Q: What are you seeing from the pass offense?
REID: “Yeah, probably the same thing you guys see. I mean it’s – we’re on at times, and we’re not on at times. So, it’ll be the same thing you guys are seeing. We just got to keep working.”
Q: What issues are you seeing on third down?
REID: “Well, we’ve been throwing the ball in those situations. You want to keep them manageable first of all, and then we’ve got to hook up on them when called. We can do a better job as coaches of putting them in a better position. So that’s kind of the basics of it, and what we’ve got to go through to do that.”
Q: On Patrick Mahomes input on game plans and how comfortable he is in different formations, specifically center.
REID: “Yeah, he’s (Patrick Mahomes) actually grown into liking getting under there (center) and doing that part of it. We’ve worked a little bit more in there this year than we have in the past.”
Q: The script at the beginning of the year hasn’t gone your way, can you put your finger on any reason why it might not be working?
REID: “I’ve got to do a better job there. I can’t stand here and tell you we’re going to try this or that, we are playing somebody here. To answer that question I’d have to give you the plays (laughter).”
Q: How comfortable are you with Patrick Mahomes running?
REID: “I am okay with it. As long as he (Patrick Mahomes) can come back upright, we’re okay. I don’t like him taking big hits, but he’s a competitive kid.”
Q: On the run game with Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt.
REID: “We can do a better job there. We’ll get that thing going better.”
Q: You had Mike Kafka here as an assistant. What makes him capable of calling plays?
REID: “Yeah, absolutely. I felt like he (Assistant Head Coach and Offensive Coordinator Mike Kafka) can do it, (he’s a) smart guy. Had played the position in the league (and) had a good feel for defenses. Had a great grasp for the offense, so no reason he wouldn’t be able to.”
Q: How often do you and Mike Kafka communicate?
REID: “We talk a couple of times during the offseason.”
Q: As fans are we overreacting to the 0-2 start?
REID: “Listen, we haven’t won the game. So, I understand, I get it. We keep pushing, and we’ll keep pushing and working forward and seeing what we can do going down the road here.”
Q: Is the start to the season, being 0-2 something you address to the team?
REID: “No, I just try to the fix the problems we might have. And all there is, including myself. That’s what you have time to do. Be real with the guys, I’m not going to not tell them what I think. (Communicate with them, and try to work it out. Get it right.”
Q: On Tom Brady being the co-owner of the Las Vegas Raider and participating in broadcasting.
REID: “I don’t know what he’s (Tom Brady) doing for them, so I can’t answer that. He’s done a good job as an announcer, I think. I don’t know that either because I really don’t listen to it (laughter). I haven’t really gotten into all of that.”
Q: Did you approach the production meeting with Tom Brady any differently?
REID: “No, we’re not telling secrets in the production meetings. So, we’re not giving them the plays and stuff in the production meeting.”
Q: What was your reaction to Josh Simmons against the Eagles?
REID: “I thought that was pretty impressive. I mean a 300-pound man running like that and making the tackle like he (Josh Simmons) did. Sure, we talked about it. That was one of the positives. There’s a lot of things we’ve got to work on but that was one of the positives of the game.”
Q: Patrick Mahomes’ 30th birthday is today. Can you put into perspective what he has done in his 20’s?
REID: “Yeah, he’s (Patrick Mahomes) done quite a bit to 30. It’s hard to believe he’s 30 years old; I mean time flies. I asked him if he felt old. Sometimes when you’re in your 20’s you look at 30 and that looks like an old man. He said he feels the same. I told him that’s a good thing because when you get to my age you want to make sure you feel the same, doggonit (laughter).”
Chiefs Player Quotes
September 17, 2025
Q: What are you evaluating on what you guys can do better?
MAHOMES: “Yeah I think for myself, just being better at executing in some of those earlier moments in the game, especially I mean, there were guys open – obviously Noah (Gray) early, but even more than that if I sit in that pocket a little bit longer and trust those guys, get the ball to guys down the field I feel like we can make some more explosive plays. That was stuff I scouted on myself but knowing we are going up against a good defensive team this week, especially that d-line so finding the right moments to take those shots downfield but not taking the negative plays as well.”
Q: When you said stay in the pocket longer, was that something that you frequently saw on tape or just here or there?
MAHOMES: “Just here or there mostly. I think that even some of the runs that I made, if I would’ve just stayed a little bit longer (in the pocket) I could’ve made some throws to guys and let them make some plays happen. Obviously, the runs work so you have success in the play and stuff like that but when you look back on the tape sometimes you want to make sure that you are going through the progression the right way.”
Q: Does the team ask for too much from Travis Kelce?
MAHOMES: “I honestly don’t know. I know he (Travis Kelce) wants to be out there at the end of the day. He wants to have the chance to make the plays happen, and he’s made the plays happen for years. I don’t feel like we ask for too much from him, but we ask for him to be out there and be himself and just be who he is. I think that in itself is enough for us. That’s probably a question you can ask Trav, but I feel like he’s in a good spot and it’s hard to get him off the field I know that.”
Q: Have you communicated with Tyquan Thornton that he will find him when he is open?
MAHOMES: “No. I think Tyquan (Thornton) has done a great job to start the year. I’ve missed him (Tyquan Thornton) on some throws, and he’s made big plays happen as well. I think if he continues to play like he’s playing, we’ll continue to have big plays within this offense and he’s got a great role in this offense. I think just for us in general, I think it’s just execution stuff. We’re just barely off here and there and in the NFL if you’re playing good defenses, if you miss plays then the drives stall out. We’re just going to continue to work and continue to practice and learn those things. As we get guys back, we’ll continue to execute at a higher level.”
Q: On what Patrick Mahomes remembers when he was five years old in New York.
MAHOMES: “It’s some of my best memories. Just my dad being on the (New York) Mets and playing in those National League Championship Series versus the (Atlanta) Braves or playing in the World Series versus the Yankees. That’s when I can first start remembering stuff, and I don’t know what the rules are back then, but they just had me out on the field. I was taking groundballs with Derek Jeter and then shagging fly balls. It was super cool. I had a lot of great experiences. Back at the time the Mets were my favorite team because my dad had the most success. It’s fun being able to go to New York, and it’s such a great city and play a football game there now.”
Q: What gives you faith that this team can handle being 0-2?
MAHOMES: “I think it’s just the people that we have in the locker room. Even though we have never been 0-2, we’ve had stretches where we’ve lost big games kind of consecutively and guys have responded. It’s about the character of the guys in the locker room more than it is the play on the football field and I think that we have the guys that are going to continue to work. They’re not going to let this push them down, they’re going to use it if anything as motivation to be even better. I think that gives me most faith and then the coaches that we have they’ll continue to push to be even better. We’ll have a great week of practice this week and know we’re going to have to play our best football to win a game against a good football team in the (New York) Giants.”
Q: What do you have to do off the field? Is there a responsibility in the meeting rooms? Do you still play it as one week at a time?
MAHOMES: “You take it one week at a time, but I think you just continue to even amplify the little details. Sometime when you’re winning a lot, those little details get lost and that’s how you lose, but when you lose early like this, you have to really just focus on those little details and maximize those and then you try and set the example on the practice field and stay after and do extra stuff and do a little bit here and there and push other guys to do the same. We’re really good at that and I feel like we’ve had great weeks of practice, and so that’s why I have faith is I know how these guys are working and how hard these guys are pushing to be even better. Now it’s just about putting it together on gameday which I’ve seen these guys do before, and so I have faith that we’ll do that.”
Q: How positive was it for you to see Xavier Worthy on the practice field and what are you looking to reestablish with him if he is able to play on Sunday?
MAHOMES: “Yeah, I think more than anything having him (Xavier Worthy) out there is just a threat in general. He can at any moment take a pass – short or long and he can take it to the house. Having him out on the practice field was very encouraging last week. Obviously, we didn’t know after that injury in Brazil but seeing him out there, he wanted to stay out there. It was kinda like holding him back. Hopefully we can go through a good week of practice and have him out there but if not, guys will step up and guys will make plays. I’m just excited to get those guys back and be able to go out there and try to have some success on (the) offense better than we did this last week.”
Q: On if his 30th birthday is meaningful to him.
MAHOMES: “Yeah, it’s meaningful in a sense. It’s always hard for me on my birthday in general, especially this year with the losses but being early in the season you’re so focused on football and trying to get us going in the right direction. We celebrated in the offseason, and we went down and I hung out with some of my friends that we all grew up together and you see them and I’m a little ahead of them. Their wives are pregnant (and) they’re finally getting their jobs that they’re gonna have for the rest of their lives and stuff like that so it’s cool to see everybody moving on in life and building their own families and see how we’ve came from little league baseball to where we are now.”
Q: Head Coach Andy Reid said you told him you don’t feel any different today?
MAHOMES: “Nah. I feel the same. I got kids man I’ve been 30 forever (laughter).”
Q: How much confidence do you have in this new offensive line to go through your progressions?
MAHOMES: “I have confidence in it. I just gotta continue to show that on gamedays. I think that’s probably the biggest thing I saw is that there was times that I left the pocket early this last week. Even on some of the runs and I’m like: ‘If I can just sit in that pocket and trust those guys that are gonna protect.’ That’s a good (Philadelphia) Eagles defensive line obviously, and we’re going up against another great challenge but the more I trust them, the better the offense will be. I’m going to continue to do that and try and hang in that pocket and make throws on the field.”
Q: How much of your confidence on throws have had to do with the struggles on third down?
MAHOMES: “Yeah, obviously you want to continue to get the chains moving but there’s a time and a place where you got to take the shots down the field and even the throw to Tyquan (Thornton) down the sideline that barely missed early in the game, I thought that was the right decision. We just didn’t execute it at the right time. You look back on that stuff on film, and you have to take those shots. Those are shots that can change games, but knowing when to do that (and) when to just move the chains and do stuff like that is something we will continue to work on.”
Q: On not being successful on call runs when the box isn’t stacked.
MAHOMES: “It’s something you continue to trust in. That’s part of football is being able to trust in the run game and whenever they’re in the light boxes, run the football and force them to come down (so) we can throw some of the shots down the field. I think that will come together more and more as the o-line continues to gel and the running backs can gel with the o-line as well. More than just pass protection when you have two new offensive linemen joining in, it’s about building that chemistry and so I think as the season goes on, they’ll continue to get better at that.”
Q: How does the 0-2 record make you feel?
MAHOMES: “Obviously being 0-2, there’s more urgency than even last week and I feel like we were very urgent last week. Definitely new territory as far as being 0-2 but knowing that we got the guys for it. We have the mindset of going out there and being even better. In my eyes it looks like what an opportunity. What an opportunity to prove who we are as the Kansas City Chiefs. Coming back from 0-2 and trying to build up to win a big football game on Sunday Night Football and try and get our season going in the right direction from there.”
Q: On why he is lowering his shoulder more when running with the football.
MAHOMES: “I think just picking and choosing more than anything. It’s just knowing when to do it and when not to do it. Protecting yourself but still being a football player and a competitor. I think that’s it more than anything and that Brad (Gee) says Taco Bell so that does it for me too.”
Q: What is different about playing on Sunday Night Football?
MAHOMES: “I’ve always loved Sunday Night Football. You grow up, you watch Sunday Night Football and you get the spotlight on you (and) it’s a night game, the lights get brighter and you get to showcase who you are and I think that it’s a great opportunity for us. Obviously, with the start that we have we want to prove that we’re a better football team than what we’ve shown these first two weeks and Sunday Night Football will be the perfect time to do it.”
C CREED HUMPHREY
Q: What have you liked with Josh Simmons and Kingsley Suamataia thus far?
HUMPHREY: “Yeah, they’re (Josh Simmons and Kingsley Suamataia) both improving each week. They’re both coming in with the right mindset, working on the things they need to work on and they’ve gotten better throughout the past two weeks. And continue to hope to see a good jump from them. But their coming in (and) they’re playing their tails off, efforts been awesome and their continuing to improve each week.”
Q: How does the offensive line set the tempo this week, so people feed off you guys from the offense?
HUMPHREY: “Starting fast. Coming out of the gate playing hard, physical (and) great fundamentally all those things. And finishing plays. If our guys get tackled, we’re there to pick them up, things like that. Just leading from an energy standpoint, coming out fast, playing physical (and) setting the tone for the guys early.”
Q: On the challenge of playing the Giants defensive front.
HUMPHREY: “They have a really good defensive front. Really good at all positions too. It’s not just one stand out guy here or there. They have really good players across the board. So, it’s going to be a great challenge for us, and I’m excited to see how our guys work this week through practice and getting ready for the game.”
S BRYAN COOK
Q: What did you see from New York Giants QB Russell Wilson last weekend?
COOK: “I have seen him clicking on all cylinders. (He’s) trusting his arm (and) letting it sling, trusting his guys and getting the ball to his go-to guys as well. I think he found his different type of groove. He has been in the league for a few years. I feel like he found a great combination as far as having the experience as well as the younger mentality of playing football and having fun. He definitely has his groove for sure.”
Q: On the defense improving from Week 1 to Week 2.
COOK: “I think more guys were hungry. Like I said getting punched in the mouth woke us up a little bit but it’s just seeing a new identity, every year is a different year. We have different guys in different positions and the trust factor, the comradery we have this year – I know we had (Pittsburgh Steelers S) Juan Thornhill was here, (Tennese Titans CB L’Jarius) Sneed was here and (New Orleans Saints S) Justin Reid. The list goes on. But this year, now I’m the “old-head” in the locker room (and) it’s kinda crazy. But seeing how the guys gel together it’s a beautiful feeling and a beautiful thing to see.”
Q: How close are you defensively to being where you can be?