The defending AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs fell to 0-2 to start the season after a 20-17 loss in their Super Bowl rematch against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 2. While the winless start to the regular season has raised some concerns among fans, one NFL writer explained why it's still too early to write off the Chiefs.
While discussing the setbacks that have plagued the Chiefs and using the Tom Brady-led New England Patriots as an example, the similarites between the two teams was manified, per Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer.
“I think it’s awfully early to sound the alarm. Xavier Worthy got hurt in the opener. Rashee Rice is suspended for the first six weeks of the season,” Breer said. “Josh Simmons is a rookie. With health, reinstatement, and growth in those three cases, respectively, we could be looking at a much different offense in November than what you have right now, and the defense has been fine thus far.
I’ve made this comparison before, and I’ll make it again — these Chiefs are what the Patriots used to be, and part of that is using the first month of the season to work things out and figure out what kind of team they need to be in that given year.”
Breer reflected on the Patriots' dominance in the AFC from 2011 to 2018 to illustrate his point.
“In their six championship years, they went a combined 14–10 over the first four weeks of the season,” Breer added. “And through their run of eight consecutive AFC title games from 2011 to 2018, there were four 2–2 starts.”
By this metric, it's way too early for Chiefs fans to hit the panic button.
Andy Reid takes the blame for Chiefs' Week 2 loss to the Eagles
After a 27-21 loss in their season opener against the Chargers, the Chiefs failed to avenged their Super Bowl loss to the Eagles in Week 2, falling to an 0-2 start. After Sunday's loss, head coach Andy Reid took the blame for the Chiefs' loss.
Reid kept his reaction short and to the point during his postgame press conference, per Chiefs reporter Sam McDowell.
“Andy Reid: ‘I’ll take full responsibility for that game,'” McDowell reported post-game.
