After all these years, we still underestimate Andy Reid. Chiefs lose receiver Rashee Rice indefinitely to a knee injury … they’ll figure it out. Running back Isiah Pacheco breaks his leg and is out for the foreseeable future … someone else will step up. Patrick Mahomes has a career-low passer rating… nothing to worry about. We forget that the Chiefs have a secret weapon … and I’m not talking about their quarterback.

Reid’s ability to reinvent the team gives Kansas City an excellent chance to repeat as champions even with key injuries. The Chiefs will be challenged, but if any coach will figure it out, it’s Reid. He’s done it with different types of personnel in all kinds of situations. Because he is an all-time coach.
And yet, Reid rarely is discussed in the same paragraph as Bill Belichick, Bill Walsh or Vince Lombardi. Reid has three Super Bowl titles, five Super Bowl appearances and he’s reached 11 conference title games. He’s the fourth-winningest coach in NFL history. Still, Big Red is never mentioned in the Mt. Rushmore of coaches. Maybe that will change if he pulls off the first-ever Super Bowl three-peat. Even then, Mahomes will get more recognition.

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid talks with field judge Mark Hittner (28) and line judge Rusty Baynes (59) after a play against the Cincinnati Bengals at Arrowhead Stadium on Sept. 15.

The main reason Reid doesn’t get the credit is his teddy bear image. Belichick looked like he wanted to steal your soul. Reid looks like wants to steal your chicken nuggets. Or at least that’s what Reid wants people to think. He intentionally deflects attention, starting with his wardrobe. Lombardi had the overcoat, Tom Landry had the hat, Walsh had the V-neck sweater and Belichick was so intense he cut off his hoodies. Reid’s closet is full of red pull-overs and Hawaiian shirts.

Most of Reid’s iconic moments are pure comedy. Like when his mustache froze during last year’s wild card game. Or when his visor fogged over in the 2020 season-opener. Who can forget when Reid started dabbing in the locker room or how he celebrates big wins with cheeseburgers. The Reid piece de resistance, of course, is the punt, pass and kick photo from his childhood.

Those incidents make Reid lovable. They don’t tell the story of who he is as a coach. You don’t win all those games without being savagely competitive. We got a small peak into the real Reid after the Chiefs’ win over the Chargers on Sunday. His star tight end Travis Kelce faced criticism early in the season and Reid wasn’t having any of it. “I really don’t care what anybody thinks,” he said. That’s a very Belichick-ian comment. No surprise, Reid is probably a lot closer to Belichick than we all realize.

The temptation to sell high on the Chiefs right now makes sense. They’re 4-0 but only have a points-differential of just plus-20. Mahomes has an 89.7 passer rating. Kelce still hasn’t gotten into the end zone. Wide receiver Skyy Moore has one target on the season and he dropped it. Pacheco and Rice were the offense early in the season and even if they do come back, we have no idea how effective they’ll be.
But doubting Reid in this scenario is a mistake. He makes everyone look good. Rice and Pacheco are fantastic. If they were on another team, who knows. We already saw running back Kareem Hunt come off the street and average 4.9 yards per carry against the Chargers last Sunday. Reid will maximize the talent he has available and find a way.

Look at Reid’s record in Kansas City and Philadelphia of handling adversity…

• Traded away leading receiver Tyreek Hill after the 2021 season and has won two Super Bowls since.

• Found a way to work around Mahomes’ ankle injury through the ’22 playoffs.

• Has started the season with four different left tackles over the last five years.

• Took over a Chiefs franchise in turmoil in ‘13, just one month after the Jovan Belcher murder-suicide.
• In Philly, he helped backup Michael Vick resuscitate his career and reach a Pro Bowl for the Eagles after serving 21 months in prison.

• Won his last five games and a playoff game in ’06 with backup quarterback Jeff Garcia.

• Didn’t let Terrell Owens completely blow up the Eagles despite the wide receiver’s best efforts. Managed to get rid of him and still go on multiple playoff runs.

• Made backup QB A.J. Feeley look so good that he merited a second-round pick in an ’04 trade with the Dolphins.
We’ll see if the Chiefs add a veteran receiver to replace Rice. They have numbers in their receiver room, even if they don’t have quality. Reid vowed to “spread the ball around” to make up for his absence.

Timing of the Rice and Pacheco injuries could help. Reid has time to reinvent the offense. Get ready for more two-tight end sets and handoffs. Meanwhile, Kansas City’s defense is elite and makes them dangerous no matter how much the offense struggles.

If Reid and the Chiefs pull this off and three-peat, the discussion around his legacy must change. We can still smile at the cheeseburgers and the mustache. Just remember, nothing is more important than the winning.