Andy Reid may want to rethink his decision to hand off play-calling duties to Matt Nagy, after a dreadful decision the Kansas City Chiefs' offensive coordinator made in the pivotal moments of Thursday's 21-20 season-opening loss to the Detroit Lions.
On 3rd and 1 from their own 34-yard line with 5:55 remaining and the Chiefs trailing by one, Nagy took the ball out of Patrick Mahomes' hands. Nagy didn't give either of the team's highly touted running backs; Clyde Edwards-Helaire or Isaiah Pacheco the chance to make a play either, and the result was...disastrous.
For whatever reason, against a hyper-aggressive Lions front that features disruptive edge rushers Aidan Hutchinson and James Houston, Nagy dialed up a delayed sweep to rookie Rashee Rice.
Rice, and the misdirection, were instantly snuffed out by the Lions' defense, dropping the rookie receiver for a three-yard loss.
HUGE stop from the Lions ?
(via @Lions) pic.twitter.com/Bef8H4O4AA
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) September 8, 2023
While Nagy's track record for dialing up trick plays and at times overthinking situations long preceded Reid giving the keys to the Chiefs' offense to him, the decision to run a play that takes so long to develop in a short-yardage situation was a quizzical one, even by Nagy standards.
Nagy was fired by the Bears back in 2021, after finishing 14-19 over his final two seasons as head coach, due in part to his offenses stagnating and underwhelming play-calling. Over his final two seasons in Chicago, where he posted a 34-31 record with two postseason appearances, the Bears' offenses finished 26th in total offense in 2020 and 24th in total offense prior to his dismissal in 2021.
By contrast, Reid has built up a career as one of the game's premier play-callers and is destined for his bust to one day reside in Canton, Ohio.
While it is admirable that Reid — unlike to a large degree, Bill Belichick — delegates responsibility to his staff, Nagy proved the risks on Thursday night of allowing someone else to make the call in the critical juncture of a game.
