Shortly after winning his third Super Bowl in five years with the Kansas City Chiefs, Andy Reid took a moment to write to another NFL head coach. The 65-year-old wanted to thank Antonio Pierce for handing the Chiefs a necessary wake-up call with the Las Vegas Raiders shortly before the playoffs.
“I texted him,” Reid said, via Peter King of NBC Sports. “I just said, Hey, beautiful facility, first of all. And I appreciate you kicking our tail because you taught us a lesson. You get complacent in this business, the margin between winning and losing is tiny.”
On Christmas Day, the Raiders pulled off a shock by beating the Chiefs 20-14 thanks to two defensive touchdowns. While that result seemed to rule out Kansas City as a contender for the public opinion, Reid believes it was exactly what his players needed to turn up their game. And the results prove him right.
Christmas Day loss transformed the Chiefs
If anything their loss to the Raiders on December 25 appeared to bury the Chiefs’ contender status. But far from that, it made Kansas City rediscover its best version to prove why it was ready to defend its crown.
Not only did it bounce back with a win over the Bengals, but it also beat the Chargers with an alternative team in the regular season finale. Once again, the Chiefs retained the AFC West title to head into the playoffs in high spirits.
Come postseason time, Patrick Mahomes did his thing and proved why he should never be written off. The Chiefs took down the Miami Dolphins’ offense in the Wild Card before proving they could also win outside Arrowhead.
In Mahomes’ first road playoff game, Kansas City once again got the upper hand over the Buffalo Bills. The following weekend, Reid’s men upset the No. 1 seed Ravens in Baltimore to make the Super Bowl. And on the big game, Mahomes stepped up when it mattered the most to seal the deal.
While that dramatic win over the San Francisco 49ers is what remains in most people’s memory, Reid doesn’t forget about the game that proved to be a turning point to their season. Which is why he had to thank Pierce.
“You better step up,” Reid said. “There’s a time and a place for these players that have been here before. You know what it takes. If you’re the veteran that’s dropping the ball or you’re the veteran getting the penalties, you better figure it out. Figure it out quick. This season’s gonna go down.”