Reviewing Andy Reid’s tenure with the Kansas City Chiefs: 2014
By David Thomas
#5. 2014: 9-7 missed playoffs
The emotional side:
This is the most obviously disappointing season in the Andy Reid era. After a pair of losses right out of the gate to the Tennessee Titans and the Denver Broncos. The Chiefs bounced back, going on a 6-1 run including a dominating win against the New England Patriots (on Monday Night Football I might add).
But the good was not meant to last. The team regressed, going 2-4 over the final 6 weeks of the season and missed the playoffs. And perhaps that shouldn’t be much of a surprise. The Chiefs became the first team in the Super Bowl era to go an entire season without a wide receiver receiving touchdown in 2014—a fact that is still constantly repeated on game day broadcasts.
Defensive super star Justin Houston went on a tear in 2014, coming just .5 sacks away from tying the all time single season record. Despite his monstrous effort, he received no votes for the DPOY.
This year also marked the last time we would see Jamaal Charles rush for 1,000+ yards. He would start only 5 more games in his Chiefs career.
Dwayne Bowe, the team’s former top receiver, was cut after the 2014 season, just two years into a 5-year deal that, at the time, was the 3rd highest value contract for a receiver. On one of the final plays of his Chiefs career, he fumbled a would be touchdown into the end zone. The touchdown would have ended the streak of games without a WR receiving touchdown. The ball was fallen on by tight end Travis Kelce, and the touchdown and streak were saved.