Andy Reid’s problem, NFL power rankings, Ravens and more
Andy Reid is a Super Bowl ring away from a gold jacket. Unfortunately for Reid, he might be his own worst enemy in the quest.
The Kansas City Chiefs have the league’s best quarterback. They have phenomenal weapons and a head coach who ranks sixth all-time in wins.
They also have seemingly fatal flaws. One of them concerns said coach.
Andy Reid has forgotten more football than most of us will ever know. He’s an offensive wizard and one of the most beloved men in the game. Talk to people around the league, and you’ll get one glowing review of both his work and mannerisms.
Still, Reid’s team always have a distinct marker. They are fun as hell and flawed enough to blow mind-numbing games on an annual basis. They are also suspect situationally.
On Sunday, the Chiefs led 32-27 over the Tennessee Titans with 1:48 remaining and possession of the football. From Tennessee’s 32-yard line, Reid twice called running plays, netting eight yards and burning both 12 seconds and two of the Titans’ three timeouts.
On 3rd and 2 from the 24-yard line, Reid called a rollout screen designed for reserve tight end Blake Bell. It was covered, and Patrick Mahomes took a five-yard sack. Instead of running for the six feet which would have ended the game if gained, Reid called a pass. It’s something he’s long been criticized for, and it became the focal point of an atrocious 35-32 loss.
Kansas City somehow managed to lose a game when it held the ball for almost 38 minutes, racked up 530 yards and didn’t lose the turnover battle.
Of course, that’s the point. No team loses more games on the margins than the Chiefs.
Special teams miscommunications, nine penalties, a killer turnover and a dubious play-call cost Kansas City the game. Hell, Reid even called a timeout with 23 seconds left trailing 33-32 when Tennessee was attempting a two-point conversion with the clock stopped.
The blame can and should be spread around with the Chiefs. It still starts with Reid.
Ultimately, the game boils down to moving the ball six feet. The argument can be made Mahomes had thrown for 446 yards and should have the ball in his hands. It can also be said the Chiefs had run well on the first two plays, and had a good chance for a conversion.
Regardless, the Chiefs sit 6-4. They are a game up on the Oakland Raiders in the AFC West, a foe they defeated at Oakland in Week 2. Odds are, Kansas City wins the division. Odds also say it is playing on Wild Card weekend, something which seemed unfathomable only a month ago after starting 4-0.
For Reid, anything short of the Super Bowl this year is an unqualified failure. He has the reigning MVP in the 24-year-old Mahomes, who despite missing two games (and most of a third) is having another spectacular year. The defense isn’t good but it’s vastly improved from a year ago. The weapons are even better after adding rookie Mecole Hardman on the outside.
Still, the Chiefs appear no closer to the Super Bowl they would have reached a year ago if not for a mindless penalty.
And perhaps that’s the place to leave off. Kansas City is undoubtedly as talented as any team in football — especially if you weight the quarterback position heavier than most. Yet it consistently makes legions of avoidable errors. The kind of errors which should largely be eliminated by this juncture of the campaign.
Andy Reid is a Super Bowl ring away from being a Hall of Famer. Reid also needs to change for that to become reality.
A sample size of 20-plus years as a head coach suggests that is a longshot.
Power rankings
Top 10 underrated 2019 seasons
1. Shaquil Barrett, EDGE, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (11.5 sacks)
2. Matthew Stafford, QB, Detroit Lions (2,499 passing yards, 19 TDs)
3. Myles Garrett, EDGE, Cleveland Browns (10 sacks)
4. Preston Smith, EDGE, Green Bay Packers (10 sacks)
5. Carlos Hyde, RB, Houston Texans (704 rushing yards, 4.7 YPC)
6. Austin Ekeler, RB, Los Angeles Chargers (57 receptions on 62 targets, 559 yards, 6 TDs)
7. Benson Mayowa, EDGE, Oakland Raiders (7 sacks)
8. D.J. Chark, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars (43 receptions, 692 yards, 6 TDs)
9. Courtland Sutton, WR, Denver Broncos (44 receptions, 692 yards, 4 TDs)
10. D.J. Moore, WR, Carolina Panthers (54 receptions, 684 yards, 1 TD)
Quotable
“…….”
– New York Giants owner John Mara when approached for comment following his team’s 34-27 loss to the Jets
No, not a typo. Mara simply walked by reporters with his head down. Silence speaks volumes. Head coach Pat Shurmur and defensive coordinator James Bettcher have to be quite concerned about their job security.
Podcast
Random stat
The Washington Redskins, Green Bay Packers and Giants are the only franchises to win Super Bowls with three different quarterbacks.
Washington earned titles with Joe Theismann (1982), Doug Williams (1987) and Mark Rypien (1991). New York did the same with Phil Simms (1986), Jeff Hostetler (1990) and Eli Manning (2007, 2011). Green Bay brought home its Lombardi Trophies with Bart Starr (1966-67), Brett Favre (1996) and Aaron Rodgers (2010).
The Redskins’ Joe Gibbs is the only head coach to win three rings in such a fashion.
Info learned this week
1. Patriots, Ravens on collision course in AFC
The Baltimore Ravens and New England Patriots have proven themselves. No other AFC team has.
Baltimore and New England appear to be headed for first-round byes. Rarely do teams go into New England and win come January, while Baltimore will be a brutal assignment for any visitor as well. The Ravens and Patriots both have flaws — Baltimore’s passing game is suspect and New England’s offense is middling at best — but the strengths are overwhelming.
Who else in the AFC belongs in the mix? Despite Kansas City’s inconsistent nature, the Chiefs have a good case. Mahomes still exists. Nobody wants to see them, but the issues are abundant. The Houston Texans? Deshaun Watson is awesome, but it’s basically Watson, DeAndre Hopkins and little else. The Indianapolis Colts? They lost to the Miami Dolphins. At home.
Things can and will change over the next two months. For now, though, the Patriots and Ravens are the clear class of the AFC.
2. Cousins win a big one, while Cowboys watch lead disappear in NFC East
Kirk Cousins takes ample heat for never winning big games. The trip back to Minnesota must have been especially sweet for him.
In the Vikings’ 28-24 win over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night, Cousins wasn’t special. His line of 23-of-32 for 220 yards and two touchdowns isn’t a banner night. The biggest number, though, was the non-existent one. Zero turnovers. So often, Cousins has been knocked for the major mistakes in the critical moments. No such error plagued him against Dallas.
When Cousins plays well, Minnesota is absolutely a contender.
As for the Cowboys, the loss drops them to 5-4 and into a first-place tie in the NFC East with the Philadelphia Eagles. The slate ahead is treacherous, with road games against the Lions, Patriots and Bears over the next month. Their only home? A Thanksgiving Day treat with the Buffalo Bills.
Dallas still controls its own destiny in the division, but that might be the only path to the postseason for it. The NFC is a gauntlet, and with the Seattle Seahawks (7-2) and Vikings (7-3) occupying the wild card spots, it’s tough to see a real road.
3. Rams, Steelers going in opposite directions
The Los Angeles Rams might be finished. The Pittsburgh Steelers are only getting started.
Pittsburgh held off Los Angeles 17-12 at Heinz Field. The Steelers generated just 10 offensive points but won regardless. Both teams are now 5-4, but the conferences each play in make the records feel entirely different.
The Rams now move into desperation mode. Coming off a bye, head coach Sean McVay appears to have nothing figured out with his revamped offensive line and shellshocked quarterback. Jared Goff got little help from the big uglies, but he also needs to own three turnovers (and two other recovered fumbles). Goff is making a fortune to be a top-10 quarterback. He’s not even close to such a distinction.
Los Angeles is looking up in the NFC playoff picture, and the road is icy.
Meanwhile, the Steelers have found life behind the best defense they’ve had since the Troy Polamalu era. Pittsburgh acquired Minkah Fitzpatrick to a chorus of uncertainty, but the hybrid defensive back has notched five interceptions in seven games. He also recovered a second-quarter Goff fumble and rumbled for a touchdown.
If the season ended today, the Steelers would be the AFC’s sixth seed.
4. Saints shouldn’t panic despite ugly loss to Falcons
The Falcons are terrible. They drubbed the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. These are facts.
It’s also true that New Orleans is largely healthy and is 7-2 with a two-game lead in the lacking NFC South. The Saints are only a half-game out of a bye in the playoff picture and have a favorable schedule down the stretch. While losing to Atlanta at home is a brutal defeat, it’s also something most teams –even the great ones — go through.
Last year, the Saints began the season by getting plastered against the Buccaneers at the Superdome. They ended up with home-field advantage throughout the postseason. If someone told most Bayou backers they would be 7-2 after finding out Drew Brees was expected to miss six weeks back in September, they would have been elated.
New Orleans certainly needs to bounce back, but one loss — no matter how ugly — isn’t cause for concern.
5. Seahawks-49ers prepare for season’s best game
The San Francisco 49ers and Seahawks might be the NFC’s two best teams. They clash on Monday night.
While the Niners are the league’s lone unbeaten at 8-0, they could quickly be in peril. If San Francisco loses to Seattle, it would only lead the NFC West by a half-game with a rematch coming in the Pacific Northwest. A perfect first half of the season could suddenly feel very tenuous.
Meanwhile, the Seahawks are 7-2. A loss, though, would almost certainly mean being in the wild card bracket. The difference between the No. 1 and No. 5 seed? Just a smidge. Seattle would be looking at the road to the Super Bowl going through CenturyLink Field or having to play a trio of road games.
Monday Night Football has given us ample duds this season. Not this time.
History lesson
On Veteran’s Day, we pause to remember and a few lives cut short in the line of duty.
Bob Kalsu played guard for the Bills as a rookie in 1968 before enlisting in the U.S. Army. Kalsu was deployed to Vietnam in Nov. ’69 before being killed on Firebase Ripcord. He was the only American Football League player to be killed in the Vietnam War.
When we think of pro football players making the ultimate sacrifice, we often talk about Pat Tillman. Tillman, a former strong safety with the Arizona Cardinals, was killed in 2004 by friendly fire in Afghanistan. Tillman is rightfully honored by both his alma mater Arizona State and the Cardinals, with both retiring his number.
Kalsu and Tillman weren’t the only men killed in combat, but both are fine examples of the young men who have given their lives in service to their country.
Happy Veteran’s Day, and a deep thank you to all who have served and are currently serving.
Parting shot
The Cincinnati Bengals are winning by losing.
It’s rare to say a 49-13 loser is one of the week’s biggest winners, but here we are. Cincinnati is now 0-9, the only winless team remaining. Considering how pathetic the Bengals have been most weeks, it’s tough to see many victories on the horizon.
In short, the Bengals are rolling towards the top pick in the 2020 draft. The Redskins are the main competition at 1-8. The New York Jets, Atlanta Falcons and Dolphins all won, giving them each two wins on the year. Might be enough to put them permanently out of reach for the Bengals.
After benching Andy Dalton last week, Cincinnati is clearly looking for a long-term solution at quarterback this offseason. Joe Burrow might just be the guy, the LSU transfer and Heisman hopeful by way of Ohio State.
Cincinnati is terrible, but that’s a good thing for a team in desperate need of a makeover.