How The Fuck Has Nobody Talked About Andy Reid Not Punting From His Own 30, On 4th and 25, With 3 Timeouts And The Two Minute Warning Last Night?
I've been in an MRI tube all morning trying not to get claustrophic, so I apologize for being late to the party here.
I seriously expected to login to my Barstool HQ account, after uploading my retina scan, pricking my finger to have my DNA verified, and giving my mom's cousins' dogs maiden name (shout out Business Only Pete for installing the new security measures around here that definitely aren't a pain in the ass), and seeing a blog about this boneheaded coaching decision from Andy Reid last night.
Nope.
So I'm in the money.
So last night, the Kelce/Jones-less Chiefs got physically outplayed at home (in the loudest place I've ever been) and mentally outcoached by the upstart Detroit Lions and Dan Campbell.
There's no two ways about it.
What makes it even worse was the mid-season-form, horrific officiating job we witnessed all night. Jerry highlighted it to perfection as usual here, but this went on ALL NIGHT
Patrick Mahomes looked very un-Mahomes ish all night also. I don't care how bad Toney played, (he was awful), Mahomes was throwing behind guys all night, underthrowing them downfield, and forcing balls into spots we never see him attempt.
If this is Mac Jones we're talking about this is a non-issue. But it's not. It's super-human, freak-of-nature Patrick Mahomes who never looks like this. So its not "trying too hard". He stunk.
But not as bad as his head coach, Andy Reid.
Now let me preface this with saying I think Andy Reid orchestrated one of the greatest Super Bowl comebacks in history last season against the Eagles. The adjustments he made at halftime would have made Belichick blush. It was a coaching masterclass and he deserves all the credit in the world. There's a reason he's destined for Canton, beloved by all former and current players, and one of the faces of the league.
Advertisement
I also love how outspoken he's been about the cream-puff direction the league is heading and how bad it is for its brand.
But last night was one of the low points of his coaching career and I can't understand how it's not being talked about more this morning?
Let's set the scene.
Down 21-20 with the ball, the Chiefs had all 3 timeouts and the two-minute warning to still work with.
Trailing 21-20 and holding three timeouts, before the two-minute warning, Reid went for it on fourth-and-25 while positioned on his own 30-yard line.
Reid originally intended to go for it on fourth-and-20, but they were backed up by a false start penalty by Jawaan Taylor. The situational hole was dug by a holding penalty by Donovan Smith and a dropped pass by Skyy Moore on preceding plays.
Aside from being 4th a mile, on your own end zone's front door, the Chiefs were 0-for-7 on converting 3rd downs in the 2nd half.
Reid could have flipped the field position, then left it to his defense to come up with a stop to get the ball back to his MVP quarterback. Talk about desperation.
You could have pushed Detroit back onto their side of the field. Stacked the box and used your timeouts, and the 2-minute warning, to get the ball back with decent time still on the clock. You have the best QB on Earth right now, the best kicker in the game, who's easily good from 60. You'd need 20-30 yards and a spike to stop the clock to escape with a win.
There was also another extremely questionable call, too, such as a jet sweep to rookie Rashee Rice on the team's penultimate possession in the fourth quarter drawn up by offensive-guru Matt Nagy. The third-and-1 play lost 3 yards, blown up by defensive end Josh Paschal.
(It's so great to see Nagy still being Nagy. How does this guy have a job?)
Advertisement
So instead of kicking, you show zero faith in your defense, at home with your crowd that's been going bananas all night, and opt for what's essentially a Hail Mary downfield, and give the ball back to Detroit already in field goal range to make the game 2 scores instead of 1. Game over.
Reid essentially tried to out-do Dan Campbell at his own game. And it didn't work.
I have been on the Dan Campbell train since day 1
so I wasn't surprised the Lions came out to play last night. I think they win their division this year and host their first home playoff game in a century at Ford Field. Finally rewarding die-hard Lions fans.
Again, I think Andy Reid is top 3 coaches in the league right now but he definitely didn't show it last night and he deserves a good share of the blame.
p.s. - my sunday plums picks are back this and every Sunday morning right here on the blog
p.p.s. - @bryankelly on twitter just tagged me in this and it has my brain in pretzel. would this galaxy brain idea actually have been possible?