OPENING STATEMENT: “Alright, so again, I don’t have any injury updates for you. Guys are just starting to come in now from the late get back. So, all in all, I thought we did some good things, we just had a couple mistakes down the stretch and when two good teams are playing each other, that takes place, and it can cost you. And so, that’s kind of what happened. Not that there weren’t plays in between there that needed to be made, likewise, but down the stretch when you have an opportunity to potentially go up on them and make it real difficult, we can’t have these things happen that happened. Anyways, with that time’s yours.”
Q: On the decision to kick the 55-yarder.
REID: “Yeah, listen, I thought we were in field goal mode. That’s what I said last night.”
Q: You were in field goal mode pretty much the whole third down as well there?
REID: “No, on third down, I was trying to get a first down.”
Q: Were you thinking field goal there? If that pass was incomplete or something like that?
REID: “Yeah, potentially yes.”
Q: The Chiefs can clinch the division Sunday – if you win and have some other things happen. Were you thinking entering this year that this might be the most difficult of years to get that done, just given the moves that all the other AFC West teams had made this year?
REID: “I’d tell you, yes, I thought all the AFC West teams bettered themselves. I thought we – which has already been said – had one of the tougher schedules in the league and I’m proud of how the guys have kind of battled through that to get to this point.”
Q: The Bengals have typically been this team and when they’re playing other teams that are allowing sacks and it seemed like you guys had taken a really significant step forward. Anything as you watched the film of this game that has maybe led them to have a little bit more success at protecting Bengals QB Joe Burrow against your squad than other teams?
REID: “Yeah, we got around him, we just didn’t get him on the ground which we’ve got to do a better job with. He has a knack for getting out of there and he did a good job, but it wasn’t that we didn’t have people around him. That wasn’t the case. The majority of the time there were people there. He just slithered underneath.”
Q: You mentioned last night how this can be a learning experience for your guys. What gives you confidence that they can take this and become better because of it?
REID: “Well, listen, you learn from every game, but when you have a young team – that was a pretty good football team you’re playing – so you learn from your experience out there against good skill players. How you have to handle them. You learn that every opportunity you got to take advantage of. And I know the punters didn’t have a big day, but you want to keep them off the field as much as you possibly can from your offensive side. And then, touchdowns obviously become important. Turnovers become important while your situational football is magnified when you have two good teams playing against each other.”
Q: Was anything different? We’ve talked about the drop eight and the shell defense and all that. Is this a look you’ve seen before or do they have a new wrinkle to it this time?
REID: “You know what, Soren (Petro), they added a little bit more than just straight zero in there. They pop with it, normally, but they showed us a couple all out blitzes and I thought Pat (Mahomes) and 11 (Marquez Valdes-Scantling) did a nice job of working that down the field – they did a good job against it. But they did the drop eight against us. I thought we were productive against it.”
Q: Is there a paragraph you’ve got somewhere from the league that describes how you’re supposed to hit a quarterback and not end up with a flag. Does the league have details?
REID: “Soren (Petro), it’s something new and it’s all over the place, I think. We’re getting different looks, I thought. I didn’t agree with that. Now, (referee) John’s (Hussey) a heck of an official too, but this thing we’ve got to get worked out and work through because I didn’t see that one (roughing the passer penalty).”
Q: I know Travis Kelce isn’t going to go for 150 yards every game and you guys didn’t run a whole lot of offensive snaps last night, but what did you see that they were doing with the attention they were giving him?
REID: “Yeah, listen, they did a good job and it left other people open. But they – and I could have, let me start that with this, Sam (McDowell), that I could have dialed up more things that were a little bit more friendly for him too and got him into space a little bit more. So, some of that is on the calls. (The) other is that they had a plan for him where they were going to double (him), in-and-out him and take him out. Now listen, it opened up things for the other guys to be productive, but we take a lot of pride in being able to get guys open when somebody has a plan on them. And (in the) second half we did a little better with it – and Trav did better.”
Q: With the youth you have in the secondary and the rookies on defense, what do you hope they kind of took away from playing in a playoff atmosphere like that and a game that intense and having a trio of that caliber at receiver to cover? What do you kind of hope they took away from that?
REID: “Yeah, Nick (Jacobs), I think that this – as hurt as they are, I think that that’s going to help them grow. And whether it’s a leverage thing, whether it’s not having a strike harder ball, but just getting your hand on the ball is good enough, your footwork and how you handle that, all those things against good players, and you had a variety of sizes that you’re going against, I think – and speed – I just think that they, if they can look at it properly, which they’re pretty good that way, they can grow from it.”