🏈 Chiefs Quotes: 11-4-26

Chiefs Player Quotes

November 4, 2026

QB PATRICK MAHOMES

Q: What are the lessons the team has learned over the last two games?

MAHOMES: “Yeah, if you look back at the Seattle game, obviously, I thought that they played more physical than we did. I thought this last week that we were able to match that and play at a better level. I think the next step will be just cleaning up the little things, situationally, penalties, stuff like that, but I think we will be able to do that. Obviously, you lose to two really good football teams, but you’ve got to learn from those games and get better from those games. And so, this will be a great test for us this week, and I'm excited for the guys to have that opportunity.”

Q: When you watched the fourth quarter back, did you sense Denver changing something or was it lack of execution on your part?

MAHOMES: “Yeah, I think it was more lack of execution. That's a good defense, they're going to do what they do. We were able to move the ball throughout the game because we were executing, but when we didn't, obviously, they got stops. And if you look in the fourth quarter, I missed (TE) Travis (Kelce) down the seam. We're still able to kind of move the ball and then get in the field goal range and (Head) Coach (Andy Reid) puts the ball in my hands to make a play happen, and I couldn't find a way to throw the ball to Trav, and he's the primary read and I can't take a sack in that situation. And then the last drive, we get down there to the goal line, and we don't execute at the goal line. And so, that's us not executing and finishing drives, and that's stuff that we have to be better at.”

Q: How do you want the offense to develop a killer instinct when up in the fourth quarter?

MAHOMES: “Yeah, you’ve just got to find a way to put up more points in today's NFL, 11 points evaporates fast. And so, you’ve got to keep the pressure on. You can't relax, especially when you're playing really good football teams. And so, we’ve got to be better at that and learn from this situation, so  that when we're in this situation again this season, that we finish the game, we score more points, we score a touchdown, and kind of put the game away.”

Q: What frustrates you most right now when it comes to the lack of execution in short yardage situations?

MAHOMES: “Yeah, it's just something that we've been better at in the past years. But obviously, this year, we haven't been able to execute in those situations, and it always comes down to kind of one guy here or there, and just not being on the same page. And so, I think that's something that we have to continue to be more and more physical, we have to continue to be on the same page, understand what the defense is presenting to us, be able to communicate well, and then go out there and just make it happen. It's not always going to be pretty, but you’ve got to go out there and make it happen, and that's stuff that we'll continue to work at.”

Q: On taking the ball and sneaking when Denver had no players lined up against the center.

MAHOMES: “Well, if I do that, it better work, that's my reaction. But no, I understand people, when you watch the film and see stuff that you want to go out there and make it happen, but obviously the play call is what we called, and we want to execute that play. And they were able to stunt and kind of get people in position that were—(RB) Kenneth (Walker) wasn't able to get going downhill and score a touchdown and everything like that, but that's stuff that we evaluate, too. We learn from, and then we try to be better from it in the next few weeks. And so, like I said, the only thing I have is if I do call my own number, it's got to work, so that's something that I'll think about in the future.”

Q: What are your thoughts on the quarterback sneak?

MAHOMES: “Yeah, I'll just put it this way. I'm going to do whatever it takes to win. At the end of the day, quarterback sneak, whatever that is, I'll do whatever it takes. It's not like I'm scared to go out there and put my body on the line. That's kind of how I’ve played, and it's gotten me in trouble sometimes and then there's sometimes that it's helped the team. And so, that's just stuff that we'll continue to evaluate, we'll continue to work on to make ourselves better for future references.”

Q: What have your conversations with Head Coach Andy Reid been like regarding the quarterback sneak?

MAHOMES: “Well, I'll say that there's been quarterback sneaks in games that we've put in that we will alert and change at the line of scrimmage if they get in those tight fronts. Obviously, that wasn't the play in that situation of the game, but it's not like we're scared to call the quarterback sneak. It's just something that we haven't done. We've been able to execute with other things. So, I don't think (Head) Coach (Andy) Reid's put that on me. But at the end of the day, if we can execute with the other things, I'm sure we'll have to make changes and that's something that Coach Reid's not afraid to do, is make changes whenever needed. So, we'll see where that goes moving forward.”

Q: Do you think you are instructing more receivers to line up correctly this season?

MAHOMES: “I think that's, in general, of having a young football team, there's going to be mistakes and big moments and you’ve got to learn from them. I think that's the biggest thing, is you try to learn from those things and make yourself better because of that. And we've had a very veteran team, I think, over these last few years, especially on the offensive side of the ball and we've added new guys in now. And so, I think they've done a great job of learning from those things, being better from that and then you don't necessarily see—we don't talk about it whenever we win. So, when we lose, it's more of a big deal but you see the progress. You see the progress the guys are making each and every week and so we try to continue that progress and then turn these losses into wins.”

Q: How much does that affect you pre-snap?

MAHOMES: “I try not to let it. I try to just do what we're supposed to do. And then we learn from that, so that the next time that doesn't happen again, and that's stuff that we'll continue to work on throughout the season. We're still right here, 5-2. We've won a lot of football games. Everything's out in front of us, and so we have to just be better this week than we were last week and try to win the game.”

Q: Do you try to caution the young guys to be steady in rebounding in a game?

MAHOMES: “Yeah, I try to be steady regardless. You want to be steady in the highs and in the lows. You want to kind of be in between. And that's what good leadership is, is that you know what the process is all about, you know how you have to get better each and every week when you're winning or when we’re losing, you learn from your mistakes. And you try to present a better picture that next week. And so, obviously, we lose these two games, but I feel like the locker room's still in a great mindset of knowing everything's out in front of us, we have to go out there and just get it and so it'll be nice to be back at Arrowhead and be able to play at home. So, I'm excited for us to go out there and prove who we think we really are and be better this week.”

Q: Were you conscious of knowing the season would be a grind even at 5-0?

MAHOMES: “100 percent, the NFL is hard, there's no way around it. You’ve got to bring it every single week because any team can beat you any week and that's what makes it so special in the NFL and so I think, like you said, last year gave me a perspective of you have to be about the process every single week. You can't jump to the playoffs; you can't jump to whatever that is. And so, this week, it's about getting ourselves better, getting ready to play a very hungry and a very good Jets team and so it'll be a battle and we're excited for it.”

Q: Does it bother you that a mistake you made could be posted on film and analyzed on social media.

MAHOMES: “That doesn't necessarily bother me. I'm critical of myself, so I always want to make a big play happen. But at the same time, I know my reads and who I'm supposed to throw it to in certain moments. And so, I try to go through my reads the right way and do what's best for the offense to keep us moving and keep us progressing. And I see the stuff that happens and then I've kind of bookmarked that, put it in the back of my mind and knowing that when we get another opportunity in another game to make sure that you’re alert to those things and make those throws. But you look back at the Denver game, we did a lot of great things. We moved the ball against a really good defense pretty well. It's just about executing at a higher level in the situational stuff, and I think that's something that we have to take upon ourselves. If we do that, we can kind of get this offense to where we want it to be.”

Q: When did you find out OL Kingsley Suamataia was not going to start against Denver?

MAHOMES: “I have great communication with (Head) Coach (Andy) Reid. So, when he knows, I know usually. And then we're able to communicate that with the team and so that's kind of our communication there and then it's the next man up mentality. That's how this league is and obviously, you want to go out there and we want everybody to play. But whenever something happens, if there's an injury or whatever it is, you have to have that next man up mentality and that's part of what makes the NFL so great is that it can happen at any moment.”

Q: How much are you missing WR Tyquan Thornton in the downfield passing game?

MAHOMES: “Yeah, obviously, you miss (WR) Tyquan’s (Thornton) speed and the way he's able to track the ball down the field and do that different type of stuff. I think some of the less downfield throw stuff is more the teams that we've played since then, just Seattle's shell-based defense with the defensive line that kind of gets after it. Same with Denver. They like to play a lot of shell coverages and let their D-line kind of do that. And so that has something to do with the effect of that, me not trying to take sacks, holding the ball too long, getting the ball out of my hand, but obviously, we have to get back to that. That helps stretch the field vertically, which will help out (RB) Kenneth (Walker) running the ball underneath and then some of the other throws as well. And so obviously, we miss Tyquan because he's such a great player, a great teammate, a great leader in that room, but I think these other guys have stepped up and presented themselves. It's just about us going out there and doing it as the season goes on.”

Q: On the scramble play where WR Xavier Worthy ran out of bounds.

MAHOMES: “Yes, and the one you're talking about, I think (WR Xavier Worthy) he thought I was going to run, which I was going to run. He was trying to take his guy with him to be out of bounds. But in those moments, you've got to make yourself available, obviously, and we have to be on the same page. I think that's more importantly, and so that's stuff that we'll continue to work on, continue to learn from, and he'll try to keep himself available and then make those scramble plays happen because that’s been a big part of our offense for a long time.”

Q: On RB Emmett Johnson’s performance against Denver.

MAHOMES: “Yeah, (RB Emmett Johnson) he did a great job. He's a super talented player, and he just brings joy. I think that's something that's special about him. He brings joy every single day. He's in the locker room. He's smiling. He has the right mindset, the right energy, and he wants to be great. And so, obviously, we have (RB) Kenneth (Walker), and he's such a special football player. But to have someone that can come in whenever Kenneth's tired or needs a break at all, and he can bring energy and juice, too, I think that's a special combination those guys have there, and we'll have to find different ways to get Emmett on the field in other ways, too, because obviously, you all have seen that he can make big plays happen whenever it's a short pass or a long one.”

Q: Can RB Emmett Johnson play a role similar to RB Jerick McKinnon?

MAHOMES: “Yeah, for sure. I think (RB Emmett Johnson) he'll continue to learn and get better and better. (RB) Jerick (McKinnon) was such a vet that he could call protections before I did. So, that's something that Emmett will continue to get better and better at, but his willingness to block, his willingness to do whatever it takes to win, they do have the same similarities there, and he can catch the ball and do that stuff, as well as run the ball. So, a great player that we have on our team.”

DE GEORGE KARLAFTIS

Q: How do you guys prepare to knock down passes as a defensive line unit?

KARLAFTIS: “Yeah, believe it or not, it's not something you inherently really work on as a defensive lineman. We knew (Broncos QB) Bo Nix and Broncos were going to get rid of the ball quick. So, if you're not getting there and as a defensive end a lot, as an interior, you have almost like an internal clock that you don't really think about. So, if you're not going to get there, get your hands up and sometimes it's a luck thing. Sometimes you just get in, block his vision, help the DBs out. So, you always try to do that and we've had some success with that in the past and help those guys out.”

Q: How much does Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo help instill confidence in the defense?

KARLAFTIS: “Always, always. I mean, as soon as that game was over, and in wins and losses, (Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo) he always comes up to all the guys, every single guy on the defense, whether you've played or not, dressed or not, talk, say maybe one or two things like, ‘Hey, great job today,’ or, ‘Hey, we’ve got to focus on this. We got a big one coming up.’ And with Spags, it's always—you could tell how much he loves and cares for you. And that's just a little example, but you want to play hard for a guy like that. So, when there's a coach that cares for you, it means the world and everybody could tell how much he cares.”

Q: How can you benefit from some of the defensive lessons long term?

KARLAFTIS: “I mean, this it's a long season, right and it's 17 games are guaranteed to every team in the NFL. I've had four years of experience under my belt. And when you have losses, critical losses in the beginning of the year, you realize the importance, but also with this one specifically, it's about finishing and I think it emphasizes the importance of finishing. When you're up in the fourth quarter and you lose, it's on the defense, and I know I felt it. I know the defense felt it. And I think just scheme aside, I think that mindset of finishing on every single play and never letting up. I think that'll benefit us greatly because we have a lot of young guys.”

WR RASHEE RICE

Q: Did it feel like an extra week was beneficial to heal your injury in the long-term?

RICE: “Yeah, I think the coaches and trainers had a plan to make sure that I was fully prepared no matter how much I wanted to play. We just kind of took our time, getting me back to the field, getting me back in practice shape and conditioning throughout me not being on the field. So, it just prepared me for the Denver game.”

Q: What can the receiving room learn from this game to not make the same mistakes going forward?

RICE: “Honestly, preparation. It's Wednesday, it starts today. What we do Wednesday, Thursday, Friday is going to translate to Sunday. Each day we work on something different, so we probably get about two reps of getting live reps with the quarterback. So, whatever he sees throughout the week of practice is what he's going to see in the game.”

Q: How much do guys in the receiver room lean on you as a veteran presence?