Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid is taking the blame for his team’s dismal loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
The Chiefs looked sluggish on offense and struggled to contain the Seahawks on defense, falling 20-3 for their first loss of the season. Reid admitted after the game that he should have done a better job of getting his team ready for the challenge of playing the reigning Super Bowl champions in a prime-time matchup.
Andy Reid Speaks Out After Brutal Loss
Speaking to reporters after the loss, Reid said the Seahawks dominated the game and said it was on him to have the Chiefs better prepared.
“Listen, all three phases we struggled, so we’ve got to do better, and that’s my responsibility,” Andy Reid said after the game. “So I take full responsibility for this. We’ve got to play better as a team.”
The Chiefs came into the game with one of the league’s top offenses, balancing a rushing game built behind league-leading Kenneth Walker III with a passing game led by the resilient Patrick Mahomes in his return from a season-ending injury. But the Seahawks stymied both phases, holding the Chiefs to 213 total yards on offense while holding them without a touchdown.
ESPN Insights noted after the game that it was the first time in Mahomes’ career that his team was held without a single drive reaching the red zone. It was also the lowest scoring output of Mahomes’ career, with the Chiefs scoring just 3 points and missing two field goals.
Reid said after the game that kicker Harrison Butker was “off,” but didn’t specify exactly what he meant. Reid said the veteran kicker would work this week to get back on track.
“Listen, he’s been one of the most consistent kickers in football,” Reid said, via SI.com. “He’s off a bit. So, we’ve got to fix that.”
Chiefs Struggled to Get Off the Field on Defense
ESPN’s Nate Taylor noted that the Chiefs shared the misery on both sides of the ball. He noted that midway through the third quarter, the Seahawks had doubled the possession time of the Chiefs and ran more than twice as many plays.
“The reason for such a disparity was that the Chiefs’ defense couldn’t get off the field, as the unit allowed the Seahawks to convert on 11 of 16 third downs,” Taylor wrote. “Even when longtime defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo blitzed, Darnold was able to find the easy answer. Most often, that answer was to throw the ball to Smith-Njigba, who shredded the Chiefs’ secondary repeatedly.”
Chiefs Coach Andy Reid Assigns Blame After Brutal Seahawks Loss