Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid Quotes
January 22, 2025
OPENING STATEMENT: “Alright, as far as the injuries go, there’s really nobody to mention. Everybody will practice today. (We) look forward to the challenge of playing the Bills, (they’re) a good football team, as we know. (Bills Head Coach) Sean (McDermott) does a great job, as do his coaches, and they’ve got good players, so we’ve got to have a good week of preparation there. With that, the time’s yours.”
Q: DeAndre Hopkins, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Hollywood Brown didn’t record a catch against the Texans. How are you going to try to get them more involved this week?
REID: “That’s the way it worked out. We want to use all of them so they’re all good players – there’s just one ball so it happened to go the other direction but not for any reason that it didn’t come their way. They’re all part of it.”
Q: On the difficulty of trying to find a plan that works when battling injuries throughout the season.
REID: “The last few weeks have been great. Everybody’s been up and ready to go so (it) hasn’t been a problem that way. They’re all getting in (and) having a chance to play (but) as far as the pass game goes, it just depends on where the ball is headed. We have full trust in all (of them) and they’re all really good players.”
Q: You said that you wanted to be better on third down against the Bills than you did last time. What are the challenges of doing that successfully against them and Bills QB Josh Allen?
REID: “They do a good job offensively on third down (and) likewise on defense but their third down offense is – first of all, their offense is very good, just in general, so it’s not just third downs, but it’s a big challenge. You have the flexibility of the quarterback (Bills QB Josh Allen) being able to throw and run (and) you have good receivers. They’re a powerful, strong offense.”
Q: On the Bills ability to force turnovers.
REID: “They do a great job with that. They’re one of the top teams in the league at that (forcing turnovers), year after year. (Bills Head Coach) Sean (McDermott) does a nice job with that. I mean, he’s got a great background with all that stuff, so he does a heck of a job – and (Bills Defensive Coordinator) Bobby (Babich).”
Q: How have you seen Xavier Worthy elevate into an almost second-year player?
REID: “He’s (Xavier Worthy) gotten better every week. He’s more familiar, Pat’s (Patrick Mahomes) more familiar with him, he’s more familiar with the offense and then what Pat expects from him. (Wide Receivers Coach) Connor’s (Embree) done a nice job of spending time with him to make sure that he has all the different types of looks. The main thing is he’s wired the way where he wants to be good and that’s a big part of it. He just wants to know and (not) let his ego get in the way or anything like that. He has good teachers in there, you’re in a (wide receiver) room with 8 (DeAndre Hopkins) and 9 (JuJu Smith-Schuster) and 84 (Justin Watson). I mean, those guys have all played a lot of football and they’re willing to share and so it’s a heck of a room to be in.”
Q: What’s the biggest advantage of having so many players who have been in these big moments?
REID: “Listen, it normally doesn’t hurt for sure. I don’t know how you weigh out the advantage of it, but I feel like we play these guys all the time (laughter). They (the Bills) know us, we know them but I’m glad – to answer your question, I’m glad we have all those guys, and you’ll need all of them.”
Q: Does your past with the Bills and Bills Head Coach Sean McDermott even register with you going into the game?
REID: “No, other than you kind of look at the tape. He’s (Bills Head Coach Sean McDermott) looking at our games against them and we’re looking at our games against them. You see all that (and) you kind of get an idea that we’ve played each other quite a little bit.”
Q: Is there an added layer to the game since you and Bills Head Coach Sean McDermott both know each other like you do?
REID: “Oh I’m sure, yeah. You’re going to always give each other a different look. It’s like (Bills Defensive Coordinator) Bobby (Babich) either, he does a heck of a job with it, too. As (Offensive Coordinator) Matt (Nagy) does and (Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo) Spags. The coordinators are the ones putting things together and making it go and then (Bills Head Coach) Sean (McDermott) and I get to stand and watch there.”
Q: On Mecole Hardman’s status.
REID: “We’ll probably put him (Mecole Hardman) back on IR there.”
Q: What is the benefit of having Kareem Hunt on short yardage situations?
REID: “Listen, he’s (Kareem Hunt) a good player. I don’t want to just narrow him down to the short yardage part. To answer your question, I think he does a heck of job with it. He’s got a knack for that, he’s a big kid and (he’s) strong. I appreciate his willingness to get in there and go on that stuff and they’re normally real small cracks that’s he’s working through so sometimes you see him go through sideways. Not a lot of guys can do that with power like he does.”
Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes Quotes
January 22, 2025
QB PATRICK MAHOMES
Q: How would you describe the intensity of a Chiefs-Bills game?
MAHOMES: “I think it’s just two really good football teams going up against each other. They (the Bills) have great players at every level on both sides of the ball, and they’re well-coached. When you play great football teams like that, it kind of usually ends with kind of that split-type of deal there. We’ve been able to beat them in the playoffs, and they’ve gotten us in the regular season but if you look at the games, every game’s close, so it just comes down to a play here or there that kind of usually makes the impact on the outcome.”
Q: How much do you appreciate the chess match between you guys after playing them so many times?
MAHOMES: “I think when you look at the great rivalries of the NFL, it comes with this. It comes with playing each other every year in the regular season, it comes with playing in the playoffs. You have to combat, you have to look at your weaknesses and try to make those strengths and then your strengths, make them even better because you know that they’re going to go out there and try to take away those things. It’s a great football team, like I said, great players, well-coached, and we know it’s going to take our best in order to find a way to get a win.”
Q: What does a matchup with a quarterback of Bills QB Josh Allen’s caliber do in your own mind as you prepare for the game?
MAHOMES: “I think you just have to know you’re going to have to play your best football. I mean, I’ve played against (Bills QB) Josh (Allen) enough times to know that he’s going to come out there and play great football, especially in those big moments. For me, I have to play my best football whenever I get the opportunity to and try to put our team in the best position to succeed. If that’s limiting turnovers, if that’s changing the field position – whatever that is, you have to find a way that day to win. When you go up against a great quarterback, it takes your best as well.”
Q: What did you see in the film of the Divisional Round that helped Travis Kelce and Xavier Worthy get open?
MAHOMES: “I think I said it after the game a little bit. I think just the – I mean, there was attention paid to them (Hollywood Brown, JuJu Smith-Schuster and DeAndre Hopkins) and they made sure to put a shell over the top of those guys and that allowed the middle of the field to be open for Travis (Kelce). That’s kind of the – how you have to do in this league is whenever certain matchups are working for you, you go to those. Then, you still want to have that option though and I think we’ll try to be better this week of giving them more and more opportunities downfield, but I think even in the one where we didn’t complete it, the one down the field, it kind of scared them (the Texans) out of – I mean, the next play Travis hits one over the middle and makes a big play happen. That’s kind of the versatility of the offense and just finding that day and what’s working best.”
Q: What is it about Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s defense that makes it so hard to go against?
MAHOMES: “I think – I mean, you see it when we play. It’s just everything looks so similar but then he (Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo) has so many different varieties of coverages and blitzes and different things that he can do. You can never get a feel for what he’s going to call because he’ll just throw in random coverages and stuff like that every single series it seems like. It’s hard to prepare for, it’s hard to go up against. Like I said, I’m glad I don’t have to do it during the regular season, but it prepares me for the season because I have to – kind of the mastermind that I go up against all training camp.”
Q: What do you think is the X-factor of being able to host the AFC Championship at home?
MAHOMES: “First off, I think GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium is just a special place. I mean, you get a feeling when you step in the stadium, and you know the history and the greatness that has been played at this football stadium. I think that kind of feeds the football team. Then, the crowd is great at being quiet when we’re on offense (and) being extremely loud whenever our defense is out there, and you feel that passion that the fans have. It’s true, it’s real and they want us to go out there and be the best that we can possibly be and so we want to go out there and put up our best fight every single time we’re on that field.”
Q: Was the Bills game this season a learning point for you?
MAHOMES: “No, I just kind of continue to play football. I mean, if you look at the beginning of the year, I had some interceptions. I just had to try to clean those up as best as I can, but I’m going to still take chances, I’m going to give guys the chances to make plays and guys have been making plays. In that game, the early interception I felt like hurt the team just with the momentum of the game, especially being at their home stadium, but the guy was open, I just have to set my feet and make the throw. Then, the last one is – I’m going to go down fighting at the end of every game and I was trying to make a throw on a fourth-down play and the guy made a great play. I just go out there and play. I don’t worry about that stuff. I try to just put our team in the best positions to succeed, and if that’s taking a chance and giving a guy a chance to make a play, I’ll do that, and if that’s taking care of the football and letting our defense go out there and get a stop to put us in a better position, I’ll do that.”
Q: What has been the key to developing Xavier Worthy and your relationship?
MAHOMES: “Yeah, I think just repetition and then just seeing how he (Xavier Worthy) works every single day. He’s a guy that works extremely hard (and) practices extremely hard. The more and more chances and opportunities I’ve given him, he’s kind of taken them and ran with them. Just like the one (play) down the sideline early in the game, just putting the ball up there – one on one match up and letting him make a play. I’m excited for how he’s progressed throughout the season and hopefully we can progress for a few more games then – that will be a taking off point going into next year.”
Q: What are the differences between scrambling in the regular season versus the postseason?
MAHOMES: “Yeah, I think just – you just know that in the regular season, I don’t want to say you’re not trying to get injured but you’re trying to protect yourself knowing that it’s a long season. Whereas when you’re in the playoffs you might take a few more chances here and there to try and get those first downs (and) get those big runs and big moments. You want to protect yourself as well but at the same time you might try and run for a few extra yards to get that first down knowing that it’s such a big possession – every possession is a huge possession in the playoffs. I have some athletic ability, so I like to run sometimes in the playoffs, but I’ll try to protect myself as well.”
Q: Do you feel like you get special treatment by NFL referees?
MAHOMES: “I don’t feel that way. I just try to play football at the end of the day. The referees are doing their best to call the game as fair and as proper as they possibly can – and all you can do is go out there and play the game that you love as hard as you can and live with the results. For me it’s to go out there, play hard, try and do whatever I can to win the football game and then live with the results based off my effort and the way that we played the game – that’s what we preach here in Kansas City.”
Q: As a veteran do you get the benefit of the doubt with referees, or do you feel it has been the same over time?
MAHOMES: “I haven’t felt any different. We get new referees every year and you get new circumstances – you can never really tell because every play is different and that’s what makes the NFL so special. I feel like I’ve just continued to play the game, and I just try to win and whatever happens kind of happens.”
Q: Have you learned anything new about Travis Kelce throughout this season?
MAHOMES: “No, not necessarily. I’ve always known how great of a leader he (Travis Kelce) is. I preach it every year and the way that he works every single day. It makes my job easier as another leader on the team – I knew he was going to do what he did in the playoffs – because every time the moment gets bigger, he plays better and he will do whatever it takes to win and that’s the type of guy’s you want on your football team and I’m glad he’s on mine.”
Q: Do you have any thoughts on the possibility of Travis Kelce retiring?
MAHOMES: “I haven’t, I mean that’s stuff you worry about in the offseason. Regardless I just appreciate every time I’m on the football field with him (Travis Kelce) and that started whenever I first got here – I knew how blessed I was to have that guy on my team. Every opportunity I get to step on that football field I appreciate it and hopefully that’s a lot more years, but I’ll appreciate every time I do.”
Q: What kind of issues does the Bills LB Von Miller still present?
MAHOMES: “He’s (Bills LB Von Miller) still just an extreme play maker. He’s an effective pass rusher, knows how to get to the football and it seems like he knows how to make plays in the biggest moments – he’s one of those guys. Someone you have to account for on every single snap and just like last week he makes a big play – it seems like he makes a big play. That’s why he was a Super Bowl MVP. They have a really good defense (Bills) just in general but he’s definitely a leader on that team.”