KC Chiefs vs. Broncos recap: Five lessons we learned from Week 13
By Matt Conner
Late season byes are a real asset
We all know the figures now that are pointed out annually around this time that Andy Reid’s record with a bye week to prepare is sensational. He came into tonight’s game 26-6 overall and 10-4 with the Chiefs. He was also 7-1 prior to Sunday night with Mahomes as his quarterback.
But the late-season bye goes beyond that. While Andy Reid is an exemplary coach given time to prepare, it’s also just as true that late-season byes in particular are important for teams wanting to make it deep into the postseason. For a team like the Chiefs, the chance to refuel after making so many laps gives them a chance to heal up and rest when so many others are running out of gas.
Remember that some teams had their bye a month ago (or more) and that injuries and attrition are taking their toll forcing franchises to make changes on the fly. Not so for the Chiefs at this stage, who had another late-season bye which gave some players like Tyrann Mathieu, L’Jarius Sneed and others a good chance to heal instead of pushing through nagging injuries (that could have been made worse).
Not everything was crisp (more on that shortly) but the rest will do this team well down the stretch.