The Kansas City Chiefs looked to be in complete control of their AFC Wild Card matchup with the Tennessee Titans, and then they were not.
During the 2017 NFL season, Kareem Hunt was one of the darling stories of the league. Only a rookie, Hunt led the entire league in rushing, beating Todd Gurley II of the Los Angeles Rams by 22 yards. In Week 17, Hunt was used sparingly, as the Kansas City Chiefs had locked up the No. 4 seed in the AFC Playoffs, and they just wanted to make sure he got the rushing title.
On Saturday with the Chiefs hosting the Tennessee Titans in the Wild Card playoff game, Hunt made his presence felt early, finding the end zone on a one-yard score to open the scoring. For Tennessee Titans fans, they must have figured this would be the start of a long game of Hunt running all over them, but they could not be more wrong. In fact, Hunt would go on to carry the ball only five times over the last three quarters of the game, and with his lack of work, the Chiefs lead went right out the window.
While Chiefs head coach Andy Reid is certainly an incredible regular season coach, his decisions in the playoffs have led to many head-scratching moments, especially in Kansas City. He is now the author of the two of the biggest blown leads in playoff history, and there is no reason why the Chiefs should have lost this game on Saturday. They came into this game as nine-point favorites, were playing at home, and oh yeah, they also got out to a 21-3 halftime lead.
During the second quarter, star tight end Travis Kelce was injured with a concussion and did not return. You would think that a veteran coach would put the ball in the hands of his star running back for the bulk of the rest of the game, keeping the Titans offense on the sidelines. It is not like the Chiefs defense has been that great this season anyway, so you had to believe they would eventually crack with the offense playing so bad.
For Reid, this loss could mean the end of the road for him in Kansas City. This loss was the sixth straight home loss for the Chiefs, which is an NFL record, and while Reid was not the head coach for all of them, he has certainly left his fingerprint on the losing. Last year, the Chiefs lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Divisional Round, which I guess is acceptable, but Saturday was on another level.
Next: Chiefs blow 21-3 lead, lose to Titans
The veteran coach has lost seven of his last eight playoff games and is 1-4 in the playoffs since joining the Chiefs. Most Philadelphia Eagles fans will remember him as the coach who could not get them over the hump. In Kansas City, he has been just as successful in the regular season, but he has brought his playoff woes with him. Chiefs fans are tired of settling for being a good regular season team, and Saturday could have been the end of the Alex Smith-Andy Reid tandem in Kansas City.