Reviewing Andy Reid’s tenure with the Kansas City Chiefs: 2015
By David Thomas
How did that happen? (By the stats)
Perhaps the number one stat that shows best how the Chiefs were able to turn things around was their 3rd down stop percentage. By season’s end, the Chiefs finished 2nd in the NFL in 3rd down defense, allowing opponents to convert on just 33.2% of 3rd downs. It was their best finish in that category in the Reid era.
Year | 3D% | League ranking 2015 | 33.2% | 2nd 2013 | 34.1% | 5th 2014 | 36.6% | 6th 2017 | 40.1% | 23rd 2016 | 43.2% | 27th
Don’t know whether it should be surprising or unsurprising that the season with the worst finish came in 2nd on my ranking of top seasons. That year did end with a painful loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers after they couldn’t stop them on 3rd down on their final drive. So maybe not too surprising.
Another stat I want to mention before I end the series is the near year by year increase in field goals attempted.
Year | Field goals attempted 2017 | 42 2015 | 37 2016 | 35 2014 | 30 2013 | 28
I noticed this quite some time ago, and have wondered why exactly this might be. Is it tied to our offense being more effective? Or could it be because our offense has gotten a lot less effective in the redzone over the years? I may do an article on this in the future or include it in my conclusion article next week.
Well until next time, I hope you’ve enjoyed this series. I know I had a lot of fun writing it. If you did like it, please consider supporting me on Patreon!