The Kansas City Chiefs aren’t used to being .500 in late November, 0-5 in one-score games, and staring at a 44% chance of missing the postseason. But that is the case this year. And as the pressure mounts, even the NFL’s most stable partnership in Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid suddenly feels… tense.
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Earlier this week, Reid raised eyebrows when he explained why the Chiefs abandoned the run game in the 22-19 loss to Denver, telling reporters that the play calls included several RPOs but Mahomes chose to throw.
“The runs are being called. Sometimes they get turned into passes in today’s world. That’s how it goes,” the Chiefs HC said, a comment many fans interpreted as Reid subtly passing the blame to his quarterback.
Mahomes, for his part, accepted responsibility after the loss back then. He admitted, “I’ve just got to make the throw,” and conceded that inconsistency “starts with me.”
But two days later, while previewing the Chiefs’ matchup against the Colts, Mahomes made comments that quickly sent Chiefs Kingdom into a frenzy. Some even believe that this time, Mahomes fired back at his coach.
While praising Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, a longtime thorn in Kansas City’s side, Mahomes said:
“Coach Anarumo is a great defensive coordinator… what makes him such a great defensive coordinator is he tailors his scheme to the team he is playing with… putting their guys in the best position to succeed.”
Mahomes then delved further, which really raised eyebrows: “He’s not stuck in his ways… he adjusts his scheme to the team that’s around him.”
Patrick Mahomes on #Colts DC Lou Anarumo:
“I think what makes him such a great DC is he tailors his scheme to the team. He wants to go with their strengths.”
“Something that makes him a great coach is that he’s not stuck in his ways of how he calls a game.”
: @Chiefs pic.twitter.com/oTa1E5hYsM
— Noah Compton (@nerlens_) November 21, 2025
While Mahomes’ quotes themselves were harmless, the reaction online was anything but. One fan wrote, “What I heard is, it’s going to be really hard to win with our receivers who can’t beat man coverage and our running backs who rate dead last in explosive runs.”
Another, meanwhile, accused the QB of thinly veiled criticism: “Pat taking shots at Andy?”
Others thought Mahomes was pointing directly at Steve Spagnuolo: “He’s taking shots at his own DC?” And then finally, a more frustrated fan summed up the sentiment many shared: “The Chiefs coaching staff… they have NOT evolved.”
To be fair, Mahomes never mentioned Reid, Spagnuolo, or anyone in Kansas City. But his ambiguous statement, coming days after Reid’s subtle jab and in the middle of the Chiefs’ most chaotic season of the Mahomes era, ensured that the timing was poor enough for fans to connect dots on their own.
And the sting is sharper because Mahomes wasn’t praising just any coach. He was praising Lou Anarumo, the defensive mind who frustrated the Chiefs repeatedly in Cincinnati and now leads an 8-2 Colts team ranking 9th in points allowed, 12th in yards per rush and 10th in yards per pass attempt.
Under Anarumo, the Colts have become one of the NFL’s most adaptive and well-prepared units… exactly the traits Chiefs fans feel their own staff has lacked this season.
It’s impossible to say whether Mahomes intended his words as a message to his own coaching staff. It may very well have been simple football respect for a coordinator who’s earned it. But with Kansas City stuck in its most turbulent stretch in years, every quote is being put under a magnifying glass.
Regardless, if the Chiefs are going to stop the bleeding, they’ll need Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid aligned… and quickly, because a losing season is right around the corner for them if things go even awry from here.
