Andy Reid Praises Chiefs’ Adjustments in ‘Game of Two Tales’ vs. Washington
Heading into halftime of the Kansas City Chiefs' Week 6 matchup on the road against the Washington Football Team, things weren't looking great. The Chiefs were shooting themselves in the foot offensively and defensively, a combination of a critical injury and some miscommunication led to an embarrassing touchdown taking place. The team was able to rebound, though, and ended up winning by a final score of 31-13.
Inconsistency and self-inflicted wounds have been major storylines of the Chiefs' season thus far. After a lackluster first half, the team outscored Washington 21-0 in the second half. Closing games has also been a problem, much like playing shutdown defense. The Chiefs were a different team for the final 30 minutes of the ballgame, and head coach Andy Reid acknowledged that duality after the contest.
"All in all, kind of a game of two tales here," Reid said. "I thought in the first half, defensively, we played good, solid defense. Offensively, the turnovers. Those things, they get you here — we've got to get out of this cycle and get ourselves going. I felt like in the second half, we did a good job of that."
It wasn't like the Chiefs weren't moving the ball on offense — they were simply making costly mistakes. Wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Mecole Hardman each contributed to turnovers, and star quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw what was perhaps the worst interception of his career late in the second quarter. Defensively, Washington was held to 13 points despite being given some favorable field position and a trio of giveaways from the Chiefs. In regards to a halftime message, Reid said it was just a matter of players looking themselves in the mirror.
"I just think the guys put their mind to it and beared down, kind of 'enough is enough,'" Reid said. "There's a point where you have to do that, and I thought they did a nice job with it."
Reid also tipped his cap to safety Tyrann Mathieu, who was visibly frustrated on the sideline during the first half and demanded more from the defense. Reid praised that passion and said the team needs to recognize, accept and use Mathieu's fire for positive results during tough times.
It remains to be seen whether this game can serve as a springboard for the Cheifs moving forward, but the second half sure did seem like a potential turning point. Not only did Mahomes play some of his best football of the season, but Steve Spagnuolo's defense never took its foot off the gas. In what was a convincing end result for the Chiefs, their processes in each half told two different stories. That will be worth monitoring as the team strives to improve in the coming weeks.
