The most anticipated games of Andy Reid’s tenure with the Kansas City Chiefs
By Matt Conner
2017: Week 1 @ New England Patriots
It’s important to remember just how big this game felt last year. The Kansas City Chiefs were slowly becoming the belle of the ball for the NFL, appearing in more primetime games than anyone else in 2017. The first of those meetings was none other than a season-opening edition of Thursday Night Football against the defending Super Bowl champions.
It’s hard to anticipate a game much more than going up against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots at Foxboro on a night they’re handing out Super Bowl rings. The Chiefs had established a baseline of success under Andy Reid and it was time to take it to the next level. The Patrick Mahomes trade turned over the hourglass on Alex Smith’s tenure, and it was clear this was going to his last ride with Reid and the Chiefs. How would things turn out?
The anticipation before the game felt like a nervous optimism, and many fans were likely hoping for a moral victory. If they stood tall, at least, against the Patriots, the Chiefs would likely look good again in 2017. Instead, the Chiefs matched the Patriots for a couple quarters before taking over completely on the back of rookie rusher Kareem Hunt—all 246 yards from scrimmage.
It was an exciting season-opening game that heightened expectations for the Chiefs and lived up to the anticipation that had been building.