NY Post: How the Chiefs Turned their Season Around

[SHOWTIME]

https://nypost.com/2024/02/07/sports...ss-to-raiders/

Raiders loss was the turning point...

“We responded after that loss. I can point back to that as a moment for us,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “The team came together after that and stepped up to adversity.”

The Chiefs’ defense has played well all season. But the offense has picked things up since that Raiders loss.

Though Chiefs players are careful not to get to specific, they did offer up some changes that were made.

Wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling said they tightened up the receiver rotation.

Instead of constantly substituting players, the Chiefs have kept players in the game even if the play call is not specific to them.

“We haven’t really done anything that has schematically changed,” Valdes-Scantling said. “We’re still running a lot of the same plays that we’ve been running all year. It’s more the in and out of personnel. We’ve got a bunch of receivers that can play. If you have seven guys up, everybody wants to play.

“It was just trying to figure out ways to get guys on the field, keep them on the field, not have to go in for a play, out for a play. That’s helped us out.”

The Chiefs have gotten better individual performances, as well.

[JohnnyHammersticks]

Originally Posted by MMXcalibur

SO THE THINGS I WAS YELLING AT IN THE GDT WAS ACTUALLY WHAT THEY DID TO TURN THEIR SEASON AROUND?!?!


HOLY SHIT, WHY DON'T YOU ****ERS LISTEN TO ME MORE?!?

Not only you. I think by the 2nd Q of the 2nd game at least a handful of us were asking why they kept pulling Rice out of the game after every play he was in.

Imagine how much YAC he could've accumulated if they just threw him simple WR screens and slants until he learned the playbook. He finished tied for 3rd in the NFL and look how many fewer chances he had.

[Rainbarrel]

The rotation could be part of the reason the select few ****ed up, also. Hardman ****ed up later trying to make a play at the goal line

[RaidersOftheCellar]

Originally Posted by RunKC

Can't blame them for trying a rotation. Rice himself said it was tough to get the playbook down at first, Toney got injured the first day of camp, MVS and Skyy were making fond of costly mistakes and Richie James got hurt.

The loss of Juju was pretty substantial the first half of the season simply bc he was a veteran who knew what to do and where to go without making a ton of mistakes.

I'm as big of a Veach/Andy supporter as any but they made a terrible mistake rolling with Toney and Skyy as our top receivers. It was a huge debacle. Fortunately Rice made up for a lot of that.

Was it a terrible mistake? They're in the SB and they were three flukey plays away from having the best record in the league.

[Rausch]

Originally Posted by Otter

Even though they've been irrelevant for years I still remember the '90s.

I look upon them kindly now. After watching a team with a great D and no QB for years, thinking we had a chance, only for them to fail round 1 every time it was very instructive. Looking back I know how far we really were from a ship without a QB.

And now that we're the team with the HOF QB I have a full understanding that this team is never out of the SB hunt or falling victim to a one-and-done playoff run again...

[ptlyon]

THEY STARTED CATCHING THE BALL AND STOPPED MAKING STUPID MISTAKES.

The End.

[DRM08]

Originally Posted by RaidersOftheCellar

Was it a terrible mistake? They're in the SB and they were three flukey plays away from having the best record in the league.

Extra stress on everyone in the Chiefs building. I don’t believe they had fun this season. Even if they win the whole deal, it has probably taken years off the lives of Andy, Veach, assistant coaches, and maybe even players.

Jimmy Johnson described a similar problem with the Cowboys team in their repeat championship season. The first championship season was a lot of fun, while the second one was extremely difficult for everyone involved. Jimmy ended up quitting the job right after winning that 2nd title.

[ptlyon]

Originally Posted by DRM08

Jimmy Johnson described a similar problem with the Cowboys team in their repeat championship season. The first championship season was a lot of fun, while the second one was extremely difficult for everyone involved. Jimmy ended up quitting the job right after winning that 2nd title.

That's because Jimmy Johnson is a pussy

[ChiefsFanatic]

Originally Posted by RaidersOftheCellar

Was it a terrible mistake? They're in the SB and they were three flukey plays away from having the best record in the league.

Trying a WRBC wasn't a mistake, specifically, but it was the players in that committee that were the problem.

We are in the SB in spite of the way Veach, Reid, and Nagy managed the WR room since before the draft.

We are in the SB because of our defense, and because of Mahomes.

This result should in no way validate their personnel choices, because outside of Rice, there really aren't any legitimate NFL receivers on this team.

If MVS didn't come up big in the AFCCG last year, and come up big again in the playoffs this year, he would be an absolute bust of a signing.

Moore is not an NFL caliber receiver. It seems obvious now, so it sucks we wasted a pick, but hindsight is undefeated, and he did contribute a very small amount to a SB win. He still needs to be unemployed next season.

Toney? Maybe when he isn't in front of a camera or mic he is a normal, understandable, and intelligent person. But, as it stands now, I think he is dumb AF, thanks for the punt return in SB 57, but I hope he GTFO after the season.

[Chris Meck]

Originally Posted by ChiefsFanatic

Trying a WRBC wasn't a mistake, specifically, but it was the players in that committee that were the problem.

We are in the SB in spite of the way Veach, Reid, and Nagy managed the WR room since before the draft.

We are in the SB because of our defense, and because of Mahomes.

This result should in no way validate their personnel choices, because outside of Rice, there really aren't any legitimate NFL receivers on this team.

If MVS didn't come up big in the AFCCG last year, and come up big again in the playoffs this year, he would be an absolute bust of a signing.

Moore is not an NFL caliber receiver. It seems obvious now, so it sucks we wasted a pick, but hindsight is undefeated, and he did contribute a very small amount to a SB win. He still needs to be unemployed next season.

Toney? Maybe when he isn't in front of a camera or mic he is a normal, understandable, and intelligent person. But, as it stands now, I think he is dumb AF, thanks for the punt return in SB 57, but I hope he GTFO after the season.

I don't disagree, but it's hindsight, as you say.

To get to the Super Bowl, even when you have Patrick Mahomes, you have to have a lot of things go right. You also, in every year, have to take chances, and project young players to take bigger roles and succeed. Some will, some won't, and that's just the way it is.

Most of this season was a trainwreck at the WR position, with even vets playing absolutely the worst football of their careers. It was weird.

I said before the season that I couldn't see Veach striking out on three big swings and a lotto ticket. I said if he hit on ONE of the kids, we'd be okay. Well, looks like he hit on Rice, and here we are in Vegas.

I will freely admit that I thought hitting on ONE was a worst case scenario, though. I thought for sure two of the four would be at least decent players. I'm sure he did, too.

[Demonpenz]

How they turned it around the coaching was better and the players played better. There i shortened it for you

[ThyKingdomCome15]

They were screwing around all season on top of sorting through a pile of WR's. The poor play of Sky and Toney was a surprise however. MVS had his bad moments as well but he redeemed himself.

[DRM08]

Originally Posted by Chris Meck

I don't disagree, but it's hindsight, as you say.

To get to the Super Bowl, even when you have Patrick Mahomes, you have to have a lot of things go right. You also, in every year, have to take chances, and project young players to take bigger roles and succeed. Some will, some won't, and that's just the way it is.

Most of this season was a trainwreck at the WR position, with even vets playing absolutely the worst football of their careers. It was weird.

I said before the season that I couldn't see Veach striking out on three big swings and a lotto ticket. I said if he hit on ONE of the kids, we'd be okay. Well, looks like he hit on Rice, and here we are in Vegas.

I will freely admit that I thought hitting on ONE was a worst case scenario, though. I thought for sure two of the four would be at least decent players. I'm sure he did, too.

Embree was probably in over his head as a very young coach with this group. I would not mind if they can get Bieniemy in there to put stronger emphasis on basic execution of fundamentals.

[Valiant]

They got better when they started targeting rice more and kept toney and Moore off the field.

[Valiant]

Rice started learning what to do when Patrick was running from a blitz.

And bottom line. Sell out for the catch.

[Coochie liquor]

Originally Posted by Rausch

I look upon them kindly now. After watching a team with a great D and no QB for years, thinking we had a chance, only for them to fail round 1 every time it was very instructive. Looking back I know how far we really were from a ship without a QB.

And now that we're the team with the HOF QB I have a full understanding that this team is never out of the SB hunt or falling victim to a one-and-done playoff run again...

Cheufs PTSD. It’s taken us all a while.