Kansas City Chiefs: Could Andy Reid Be On the Hot Seat?
By Erik Lambert
Back in early December the Kansas City Chiefs elected to make a change by handing play calling duties to offensive coordinator Matt Nagy.
Up until that point head coach Andy Reid had handled that job. It was something he knew well and had done since previous coordinator Doug Pederson left for Philadelphia. When Nagy got the job though things changed quickly. Kansas City rolled off over 28 points per game and won the last four games of the season to clinch the AFC West title. If ever there was proof that Nagy was ready for primetime, that was it.
However, something went awry against the Titans. After a quick start to the game the offense completely shut down in the second half. Tennessee rallied to stun them with a 22-21 comeback win. It was easily one of the worst losses in Chiefs history, leaving some to wonder how it happened. One possible explanation? That Reid resumed play calling and this might explain why the unit looked so out of sync at times.
It’s either that or Reid simply took his foot off the gas, allowing Tennessee the window they needed to steal the game.
The Kansas City Chiefs have been eliminated from the playoffs. pic.twitter.com/nNWT2PXrjG
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) January 7, 2018
Either way it calls Reid’s job status into question
Like it or not this marks yet another disappointing finish to a season for the Chiefs. This team has had multiple opportunities to reach the Super Bowl since Reid took over in 2013. Thus far they haven’t even managed to make an AFC championship game. Reid turns 60-years old this year in March. At what point must the Chiefs ownership start to ponder, crazy as it may seem, whether they might want to think about a change?
Rodney Harrison on NBC:”If the Chiefs wanna win a Super Bowl, Andy Reid isn’t the right guy to bring it to them”’. Ouch!
— Rickie Ricardo (@RR_RicardoFAN) January 7, 2018
Facts are facts. Reid is one of the most successful coaches of the past 20 years. He’s turned two different franchises into perennial contenders. Yet the inescapable truth remains. When the chips are down, he always comes up short. In the last five playoff appearances he’s made as a head coach, four of them ended in one-and-done finishes. His ability to get it done in the postseason has actually gotten worse from the heartbreaker runs he had in Philadelphia.
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Change is always scary, but it also is inevitable. Unless Patrick Mahomes can do that much better than Alex Smith or Donovan McNabb has in the past, it’s hard to imagine Kansas City getting where they want to go.