Justin Reid has appropriate response to Rex Ryan's critique of Chiefs defense

AFC Divisional Playoffs: Houston Texans v Kansas City Chiefs
AFC Divisional Playoffs: Houston Texans v Kansas City Chiefs | Aaron M. Sprecher/GettyImages

Rex Ryan thought he'd seen it all.

The former NFL head coach-turned-ESPN analyst certainly has witnessed more than most on the gridiron. After all he was raised by a true NFL legend, Buddy Ryan, and played the game himself as a defensive end through his college years. Add 30 years of coaching experience to that—from his early days at Eastern Kentucky to his years on the sidelines leading the Jets and Bills—and we've no doubt Ryan has an encyclopedic knowledge of the game.

Still, Ryan has a few things to learn.

Last in the 2024 campaign, Ryan went on the offensive in his perspective of the Kansas City Chiefs' chances as the postseason drew nigh. In a segment on ESPN's NFL Countdown, Ryan served up his opinions on the Chiefs' defense and how they'd changed from last season—for the worst. And clearly he thought it would lead to a quick postseason run for them.

"This ain’t the same team as last year. There’s no L’Jarius Sneed out there. Their defense is average as hell, especially against the vertical passing game. You guys seem to think it’s gonna be the same. It’s not … I’m telling you right now, [Isiah] Pacheco, he’d better be healthy or, I’m telling ya, they’re out."

We'll pause here to point out a couple of things. First, he's right about Sneed (the Chiefs dealt him to the Tennessee Titans for a future third round pick), because many Chiefs fans felt the same. However, other stars have stepped up and no one can deny the defense even carried the Chiefs early.

For Ryan to look at the unit's overall performance this year, while even taking into account their postseason history, and dismiss them so easily was irresponsible. He even doubled down with a silly playoff prediction.

"I recognize the fact that they’re gonna get the bye. Now all they have to do is win one more game and they’re in the [AFC] championship game. I don’t think… the way they’re playing, I don’t have any faith in it. Why? I’ve been around this game all my life. I’ve seen teams like this before, and you know what happens to them? They get beat in the first round."

After all of this, it's clear that some Chiefs players took that personally and one in particular, safety Justin Reid, kept some receipts. And he had the perfect, succinct response for the former head coach.

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