Kansas City Chiefs Instant Reaction: Put This One On Andy Reid
By Ben Nielsen
Blame the offensive line if you’d like.
Blame the wide receivers, blame Alex Smith, blame the corners, blame the injuries, blame the suspensions, blame the kicker, blame the draft. All of those things were bad today in the Chiefs 26-10 loss to the Titans to open up the season. You could easily spend hours ranting about how the Chiefs looked on the field, noting how slow and out of sync they were. Nobody was on the same page today, nobody.
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In a game in which Jamaal Charles touched the ball 11 times, we ask ourselves why the wide receivers couldn’t get open.
In a game that saw Alex Smith rush six times and Charles rush seven times, we wonder why the offensive line was getting bombarded play after play.
In an offseason where we talked so heavily about the importance about the tight ends to this offense, Donnie Avery was targeted more times (13) than both tight ends combine.
Kansas City is built to win games by utilizing Charles, limiting turnovers, attacking the passer, and being solid in special teams. It is a formula that wins football games and is something not too far off from what the Seattle Seahawks used to win the Super Bowl. Today the Chiefs looked like they had no clue what they were doing in any of those areas. This team simply was not ready to play.
All of this falls on Andy Reid.
The man who was known for his preparation and for getting teams ready a season ago somehow managed to revert into a 2011 version of Todd Haley. It didn’t matter what the offensive line did or did not do because all of the other facets of the offense were running different plays. This team did understand the plays that were being called, were running the wrong routes, and not looking for the ball when it was being thown to them.
It wasn’t limited to the offense. Kick and punt returners were stepping out of bounds. Nobody was tackling in the secondary aside from Eric Berry. Zero turnovers were created.
Then there is the matter of Jamaal Charles, who rushed the ball only seven times today. Keep in mind that Jamaal had 11 touches in this game with three of them coming in the first three plays of the game. Then Charles simply disappeared from the Chiefs offense. It should be no surprise then the offense totaled only 245 yards and went 1-for-12 on third down.
Oh, and let’s not ignore the random decision to fake punt from the Chiefs own territory. Or the time Reid decided to throw it down field from their own two-yard line with 38 seconds left in the half (the play ended in an interception and Tennessee field goal). Kansas City lost this game as much because of tactical decisions as it did for anything else.
Nothing about this game made sense from a coaching perspective. Nothing. And it showed on the field.
Kansas City isn’t a world beater, and it certainly won’t be so without Derrick Johnson in the middle of the defense. But this is a team that could make the playoffs even with the injuries. There is still talent on this team that can win football games, and should have won today.
None of that talent is going to matter if Reid doesn’t get some things straightened out in a hurry. Whatever edge he had last season when it came to preparing his team he has lost it. Regaining that edge and getting everyone on the same page is the only way this team is going to avoid a dumpster fire of a season.
Cairo Santos wasn’t the problem Sunday. Neither was Eric Fisher or Alex Smith or Ron Parker. Kansas City lost today because of Andy Reid. He must do better.