Once again, congrats to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, they did play a fine Super Bowl game, and are definitely deserving NFL Champions. All the recognition to them is well deserved. As much as the Chiefs loss is as painful as it is to the entire Kingdom, it doesn't hurt to genuinely offer the best to the Bucs.
But I can't dismiss a critical thing I've been considering is the most critical Chiefs reason we lost that game. Indeed if this factor didn't manifest itself so profoundly, the game would've at least been a closer one. The way Tampa Bay played we might not have won, that's cool, but at least it would've been a game. Who knows though, the way Patrick Mahomes played, wow, we actually might have won.
Still, our O-line simply couldn't hold up against that blistering Bucs pass rush. Our own receivers didn't help either. Both of these liabilities were widely recognized, but I do believe both could've been reasonably addressed if it wasn't for that critical factor.
First let me share that our future is bright. We'll be back. Mahomes is young, talented, and now even more motivated to win the big one again. Brett Veach is going to make things right for our star player, and he is so skilled at getting the weapons he needs to give Patrick exactly what he needs. That's all good.
But then, there's that critical factor. Please know before I share that I have heard and seen nothing since the Super Bowl. I've read or watched no commentary, no punditry, no remarks from anyone about anything. The poor O-line and receiver play was obvious, and I do know it'd been justifiably panned mostly because of the Tiktoks my daughter has shared with me. They were very fun to watch, as heartbreaking as they were. One of them featured a kid screaming "Who put Helen Keller in a Chiefs uniform?!" referring to those horrific drops by our receivers. Very ugly.
Again, however, there's that factor.
And it was Andy Reid.
What happened the Thursday before the Super Bowl with his son and the terrible accident it is likely he was responsible for because of his driving impairment had to have had an impact on Andy's focus. He admitted after the game he felt terrible about what happened to the victims, and we should all keep praying like crazy for the little girl who as of this writing is still battling for her life. That takes precedent by miles over any Chiefs anything.
But it is also sad that Reid said the incident didn't have an effect on the game because the game plan was put in place the week before the game.
Oh.
For one thing, during the game Reid didn't make the adjustments he needed to make, so that straight away was a key part of the critical factor. To say the game plan was already put in place is to concede that there wasn't enough done to really give the Chiefs a chance to compete, at every level. Reid has actually gotten much better at the in-game adjustments, he has. He did terribly in this game.
The game plan was the issue, however. I know here I'm portraying the role of Henley Hindsite, Monday Morning Quarterback Extraordinaire. And I confess some of what I'm going to share are items simply related to what I saw and thought after witnessing what happened on that field in Tampa. Hmm, as I thought back, that really didn't work, and yes, I probably wouldn't have known that any more than Reid would. I know my expert analysis here is like a slug saying, well, I guess a tiger is a little better at chasing down and devouring an antelope than I am.
On the other hand, as good a coach as Reid is, he just should have known better. Here's the one key thing before the game I did indeed think would have worked really well, and alas, Reid did not do it at all. In fact, it was a key player he did not employ in the game at all. Maybe it was because this particular player wasn't healthy enough, okay. Maybe Reid felt he'd lost too much of a step, okay. Maybe this player just didn't have the game plan down as he should, that's fine, that's Andy's legitimate call. No worries.
That player was Le'Veon Bell, and if Bell was healthy, had his step, and got the game plan down, then I firmly believe it was a grave mistake not to play him. Sometimes Reid decides to go with a player simply because he's played well in other games. In this instance Reid just missed it. In the Super Bowl he went with Darrel Williams, who was terrific against Cleveland two games before, and Reid went with Williams as the guy who spelled Clyde Edwards-Helaire. CEH had a pretty good game himself for what it was worth.
But it is always the case that every single game situation is different, and every opponent presents a totally different challenge. Williams simply was not the guy to go against the Bucs. The Bucs presented a totally different look, one I felt better suited for Bell's skills. Sadly, I don't think Bell saw the field at all for the entire game.
I very much know there is no way anyone can know what would've really happened that we didn't play Bell. That idea will never be proven true one way or another. Maybe what I thought would've been no better, I understand that. Reid is the guy, not me.
But I also know just from watching the Super Bowl that when we had the ball first all we did was pass. The first several plays we didn't run the ball at all. Furthermore I don't even think we did anything close to play action. It was just Mahomes in the shotgun to step back into gunslinger mode. As I watched the game progress, just thinking about it afterwards, I think against this defense it would've served us better to run the ball -- again with CEH and Bell. The Bucs strength was their pass rush, why did we start out-of-the-gate trying to go up against the razor sharp teeth of their strength?
Earlier in the year during the regular season game against the Bills, their defense was playing way back, kind of like the Bucs were, and we ran the ball all over them. Maybe our offensive line issues were too much to overcome, but I still wonder. Could we have run the ball more early to pull those defenders up and open up our passing game?
As far as our passing game, we didn't do enough short, quick strikes underneath. And since they were doubling Hill and Kelce, Watkins and Robinson should have been in the mix much more. If I remember Watkins had only one catch, Robinson zero. Even if we were only getting a couple yards on each completion, it would make the Bucs make a move. That imaginative motion and activity that always opened things up so much for this Chiefs team, making them so much fun to watch? It just wasn't there in the Super Bowl, it just wasn't.
Instead, we just sent our receivers into their medium-&-deep routes, and doing so we played into the hands of the fine Bucs D. We did exactly what they expected us to. How aggravating for Chiefs fans to watch Mahomes flail around in that backfield like a banshee chased by hellfires. Over and over and over again.
I just thought Bell was the X-factor. He has always been outstanding at slipping past overly aggressive linemen. He was a fine receiver and could get into those creases. He was also a good blocker to help Mahomes when we could get our receivers untracked. In my view not playing him was the critical factor in our loss.
The Bell thing, I did predict. I was hoping that not seeing him like we should have early in the game, we'd still be okay. We weren't. The other stuff, for the most part I admit, I could only really assess after the game so I'm not saying I'm any better than Reid. I'm just talking about what I saw. Everyone does that, everyone's a critic. And once more, has anyone else seen this? Sure there are many factors involved here, even more sophisticated ones. Those I've shared are just some of the key ones I've seen. Maybe others have already shared them, that's awesome. I'm not behind on this, I'm just posting about it now because I'm so busy, and maybe someday I will look over the post-game talk and see what others thought.
For sure here's to hoping Reid, just as Mahomes and the other players, will learn from this, that this will eat at them and provide the motivation to make happen what they know they can make happen. It is nice to see Reid improve his coaching in his years with the Chiefs and do things he hadn't done before to get us winning games on a consistent basis. That's awesome.
I have to add one more thing, and forgive me if this is taken the wrong way. I only add this because I think as highly of Reid as I do. And I know that what happens with other people, including family members, may not reflect on other family members, even parents. Andy Reid is not responsible for what his children did or do, and I know nothing about the things going on in his private life and those of his family -- that is none of any of our business.
I do know, however, that good coaches have a reputation for staying at the facility, working overtime -- waaay overtime. I've heard Reid is one of those coaches who spends hours and hours in the film room. We all know he loves his team, his players, his game strategizing -- he is "Big Red." His devotion to Chiefs excellence is extraordinary, it really is, and we've all benefitted from it watching how stellar the Chiefs have played for nearly a decade now.
But this stuff happening with his family makes me very sad, I'm sure it does everyone. I'm just hoping he takes time and leaves that film room a little bit earlier, and goes to spend that time with those closest to him. This thought applies to me and anyone else as much as to Andy Reid. Just thinking and praying for him. If we don't make another Super Bowl because he's just not in the film room looking at one more play, that's fine, if it means he finds peace and joy with his family -- and they do too.
I think Andy can do just fine if he lets himself go and just be that organic leader he has shown he can be on the football field. It has been clear over the years he's been with the Chiefs that he's enjoyed amazing growth there. I think that'll blossom even more when he's taking more of that time enjoying being that awesome family man we know he is too.
The Chiefs Kingdom will thrive just as much also.
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The photo was from the WDAF-TV Fox 4 news site. Thank you.
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