Andy Reid Has His Chance to Prove the Haters Wrong

It finally happened. The Kansas City Chiefs are headed back to the Super Bowl for the first time since 1970 (!!). Patrick Mahomes was once again spectacular, the defense bottled up Derrick Henry, and the Chiefs managed to stop the runaway freight train that was the Tennesse Titans. In doing so they clinched the AFC crown and a spot in the biggest game of the year. But for Andy Reid, this a chance to finally solidify himself as one of the best coaches to ever grace an NFL field.

Andy Reid Postseason Record

Andy Reid has faced a lot of warranted criticism over the years for the way his teams performed in big games. Sunday's win will bring his career playoff record to 14-14. On its own, that's not too bad. He has managed to coach well enough to be in 28 postseason games, but he has a regular-season winning percentage of .618 and an overall record of 207-128.

Reid is an offensive mastermind who regularly leads his teams to excellent regular-season records, but can't get it done in the playoffs. In Philadelphia from 2000 to 2004, his team didn't lose more than five games in a season, but managed to advance to the Super Bowl just once. They lost.

Even in his six years at the helm of the Chiefs, he's had several playoff meltdowns that, on their own, would haunt any other coach forever. They include the blown lead against the Titans at home in 2017, the 28-point comeback by the Colts in 2014 and the crushing overtime loss to the Patriots last year. Even this year, his Chiefs struggled mightily to start games, falling behind 24-0 to Houston and 17-7 to the Titans before they woke up and they stormed back for victories. His in-game management remains extremely poor, as exhibited by his end-of-the-half timeout blunder on Sunday (that Mahomes bailed him out on).

But none of that matters now. Reid is back in the Super Bowl for the first time since 2004. He currently has the seventh-most coaching wins in NFL history, with 71 more victories than the closest active head coach not named Bill Belichick. Even with all of his playoff failures, this latest win places him at sixth all-time in playoff wins. Everyone above him is a Hall of Famer (or will be, in Belichick's case). Most crucially, they all have rings, the one thing missing from Reid's resume.

Winning the Super Bowl this year doesn't change how badly Reid's teams have flopped under the spotlight in the past, nor does it change how brilliant he is as a play-caller and schemer. But with a championship, any and all arguments against his place on the pantheon of great NFL head coaches are much less potent.

The spotlight will be on Mahomes and the high-flying Chiefs' offense, as well as how their improved defense will fare against Jimmy Garoppolo or Aaron Rodgers. But make no mistake, this is Andy Reid's moment, his best chance to put the finishing touches on a masterpiece of a football career. It's his opportunity to silence the doubters. Reid's time is now.