‘Tank the Season’ — Andy Reid Faces Backlash From Chiefs Fans for Comments After Getting Eliminated From Playoffs Race

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The Kansas City Chiefs’ playoff hopes for the 2025 season came to a sobering end on Sunday, as a narrow home loss to the Los Angeles Chargers eliminated the team from playoff contention. The 16-13 defeat at Arrowhead Stadium dropped Kansas City to 6-8 on the season, marking the first time since 2014 that the Chiefs have been eliminated from the postseason.

In the aftermath of the loss and elimination, coach Andy Reid reportedly addressed the team with a message of perseverance. Cornerback Jaylen Watson said Reid urged players to “keep fighting,” despite the season’s bleak outlook

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Fans React to Andy Reid’s ‘Keep Fighting’ Message

The coach’s message was met with sharp criticism from portions of the fan base on X.

“Fighting when you’re already eliminated from the playoffs won’t do you any good; winning now is pointless. Just lose and aim for a good draft position,” one fan said, questioning the value of continuing to pursue victories with postseason hopes gone.

“No. Rest all the f**king starters, fire Nagy and Troub tomorrow and get better picks. F**k this ‘fighting’ s**t when we gotta retool on the fly,” another fan said.

“Keep fighting for what? Mediocrity?” another added, questioning the broader purpose of Reid’s message.

“Nah bro tank the season,” another fan simply said.

“Fight for what? Mahomes is done for the year. They’re eliminated. Play them young guys and secure that top 12 pick,” one fan wrote.

“Fighting when you’re already eliminated from the playoffs won’t do you any good; winning now is pointless. Just lose and aim for a good draft position,” another added.

The loss broke a run of three consecutive Super Bowl appearances. Late in the fourth quarter, with under two minutes remaining, Patrick Mahomes went down following an awkward play. The stadium fell silent as training staff attended to the quarterback, whose injury cast doubt over the remainder of the season and beyond.

Gardner Minshew entered the game in relief and attempted to lead a late drive to set up a potential game-tying field goal, but the comeback effort ended when Minshew threw an interception.

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Kansas City had a hard time finding offensive consistency throughout the night. The Chiefs managed just 49 rushing yards as a team and were repeatedly stymied by a disciplined Chargers defense that made timely stops in crucial moments.

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