Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid is taking blame after the team’s offense stalled late in Sunday’s crushing loss to the Denver Broncos.
The Chiefs came into Sunday’s game looking to make a big statement and climb back into contention in the AFC West, but instead left with a 22-19 loss and a big mountain to climb to get back into the playoff race. The Chiefs had several opportunities to take the lead, but stalled out on their final two drives in the fourth quarter.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Reid said the team’s troubles were his fault.
Andy Reid: ‘They Got Us Today’
Reid gave credit to the Broncos after the game, saying the division leaders were just the better team.
âListen, Denver played a good game. They got us today,” Reid said, via SI.com. “On our side, I’ve got to make sure that we don’t go three-and-out with those last couple offensive series.”
The Chiefs took the lead early in the fourth quarter when Patrick Mahomes found Travis Kelce for a 21-yard touchdown. But after taking the 19-16 lead, the Chiefs went three-and-out on each of their final two drives, allowing the Broncos to drive for two field goals to win the game.
The Chiefs also missed on two opportunities in the first half, reaching the red zone twice but only coming out with two field goals. Reid said that was a testament to Denver’s aggressive defense, mixed in with a few mistakes from the Chiefs.
âThey have the No. 1 defense in the National Football League, so we’re fighting, and then we had some where we were going backwards, and kind of self-inflicted things,” Reid said. “So gotta take care of that.â
Broncos Get Confident, Chiefs Face Challenge
Broncos quarterback Bo Nix told reporters after the game that the win was a testament to the team’s mettle. The Broncos improved to 7-2 in one-score games while moving to 9-2 overall, solidifying their place atop the division.
âWe’ve just got a resilient team that believes we’re going to win, and at the end of the game when it’s close, that belief goes a long way,â Nix said.
The Chiefs appeared to get back on track after starting the season 0-2, winning five of their next six games. They have since hit the wall again, losing to the Buffalo Bills prior to their bye week and losing again to the Broncos to make their division deficit even greater.
The Chiefs fell to ninth place in the AFC, a game behind the Jacksonville Jaguars for the final playoff spot.
Mahomes said after the game that the Chiefs need to get more consistent if they want to get back into postseason contention.
âWeâve been losing these close games recently, but weâve played some good football in spurts,â Mahomes said. âItâs just about being more consistent, and until we go out there and do it, all you can do is just keep saying, keep practicing and getting better and better and push yourself to go out there and do it on game day.â
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