Andy Reid’s history of Week 1 performances with the Chiefs

As the Kansas City Chiefs prepare to open their sixth season under Andy Reid, let’s take a closer look at how he’s began previous years.

Starting this season, his sixth with the team, Andy Reid is the longest-tenured coach of the Kansas City Chiefs since Y2K was a thing. To be specific, you’d have to venture as far back as Marty Schottenheimer to find a coach who has been with the team for more than five years.

It’s no secret that Reid has himself enjoyed a strong level of success in his five-year stint with the Chiefs, but on the verge of Week 1, we’re interested in his history when opening a season. In short, is there any reason to expect the Chiefs to open with a wind due to Reid’s ability to plan a game well.

We all certainly remember the season-opening game last year against the defending Super Bowl champs. The Chiefs dominated the New England Patriots in every facet of the game to spoil the festivities and deliver a message. Before that however it can be a bit fuzzy to recall exactly how seasons got underway.

Overall, Reid is headed into his 20th year as a head coach, spending 14 of those seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles. In his 19 years of coaching, he holds an all-time record of 183 wins, 120 losses, and 1 tie. This is good enough for a .604 win percentage. For his career as a whole he has an 11-8 record in week 1, which equals a .579 win percentage, but he was 7-7 to open seasons in Philadelphia.

Ever since he arrived, Reid brought this franchise back to life. With 53 wins and only 27 losses, Reid owns a spectacular win percentage of .663. He also has a phenomenal .800 win percentage vs. week 1 opponents  with a record of 4-1—the lone loss coming against the Tennessee Titans in 2014. A brief overview:

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• 2013, Jacksonville Jaguars – The Andy Reid era begins with a memorable 28-2 drubbing of the lowly Jags (how things have changed). Tamba ran back a pick-six to ice the game after a strong defensive effort overall. By the way, how poor was Alex Smith’s receiving corps in those days? His touchdown throws were to Donnie Avery and Junior Hemingway and Anthony Sherman was his leading receiver.
• 2014, Tennessee Titans – The lone loss was an embarrassing one and it actually kept the Chiefs from the playoffs. The Titans won 26-10 as Smith threw 3 INTs and Ryan Succop got his revenge after being release for Cairo Santos.
• 2015, Houston Texans – The Chiefs coasted to this home win over the Texans that finished 27-20 overall but included 11 4th qtr. points by Houston. Travis Kelce had 100 yards and 2 touchdowns and Smith looked near flawless. Allen Bailey’s 2 sacks led a 5-sack effort from the defense.
• 2016, San Diego Chargers – What else can you say about the biggest comeback in franchise history? Twenty four unanswered points from the Chiefs in the 4th quarter and overtime erased what seemed a sure defeat. Spencer Ware came up just short of 200 yards from scrimmage and Keenan Allen’s injury slowed the Chargers offense to be sure. An incredible game.
• 2017, New England Patriots – Kareem Hunt’s coming out party ruined a ring ceremony and set the tone for a five-game streak that was so dominant it even made Alex Smith for MVP talks seem realistic.

Despite the questions on the roster, Reid is a very solid bet any week and especially in Week 1 since joining the Chiefs. With an offense that looks stronger than any he’s had to work with so far in K.C., there’s every reason to expect the Chiefs to win on Sunday against the L.A. Chargers.