Kansas City Chiefs v Pittsburgh Steelers Joe Sargent/GettyImages

Chiefs disaster sparks message from former player fans desperately needed to hear

Originally posted on Arrowhead Addict | By Matt Conner | Last updated Sep 6, 2025 11:00 AM ET

Sometimes a voice from the outside is needed in a moment of distress. It's healthy to see a counselor to talk through problems, or to turn to a friend for perspective when facing a quandary. That's why it's nice to hear from a trusted voice after watching the Kansas City Chiefs lay an egg in the season-opening game against the Los Angeles Chargers.

The Chiefs flew 11 hours to face the Chargers in Brazil in a primetime Week 1 affair. The only problem is that they stepped into the stadium looking ready for the preseason opener instead. Numerous penalties and dropped passes came early and often. It got so bad that Travis Kelce even ran into Xavier Worthy on the third play of the game, forcing Worthy to miss the rest of the contest with a shoulder injury.

Justin Reid has words of wisdom for everyone to hear after Week 1.

It was a comedy of errors for the Chiefs on Thursday night, and the defense wasn't any better. On the opening drive, Steve Spagnuolo basically put a napkin in Justin Herbert's lap and asked how he wanted to dine. Herbert played like an MVP for 60 minutes, and the Chiefs lost by a final score of 26-17.

So what is a franchise's fan base to think after such a miserable performance? For mediocre teams, it's a sign of further bad things to come, but former Chiefs safety Justin Reid has some much-needed encouragement for those overreacting to Week 1 in Chiefs Kingdom.

Jaden Hicks is a star in this league. I’ve seen firsthand what this kid can do.

One game does not define any player, coach or team. There are a ton of plays for a bunch of players on both sides of the ball to learn from.
— Justin Reid (@JustinqReid) September 6, 2025

Specifically, Reid was pointing to Jaden Hicks' performance, but he addresses the whole team here as well, and it's important to keep that in mind. One game doesn't define the franchise, and that's certainly true of the league's reigning dynasty.

It doesn't aid the narrative that the Chiefs' previous game also featured a disastrous performance against the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX. The lasting impression of the Chiefs through the spring and summer was an unflattering one, so it makes sense for outsiders to tie the two together and believe the worst about the Chiefs.

But Reid, who played three seasons in K.C., is right. The Chiefs have been through much worse. The AFC still runs through Kansas City. Multiple Hall of Famers are on the field and roaming the sidelines for this franchise as they look ahead. One game doesn't define them, and there's no reason to go Thelma & Louise on expectations just because of a poor showing against the Chargers.

This article first appeared on Arrowhead Addict and was syndicated with permission.

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