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Kansas City Chiefs: Best Games From the Andy Reid Era

By Leigh Oleszczak

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid leads his team onto the field for an NFL game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Everbank Field in Jacksonville, Florida, on Sunday, September 8, 2013. The Chiefs won, 28-2. (David Eulitt/Kansas City Star/MCT via Getty Images)
Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid leads his team onto the field for an NFL game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Everbank Field in Jacksonville, Florida, on Sunday, September 8, 2013. The Chiefs won, 28-2. (David Eulitt/Kansas City Star/MCT via Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

BEST GAMES OF THE ANDY REID ERA

SEPTEMBER 11, 2016 VS SAN DIEGO CHARGERS

After the Chiefs won their first playoff game since the 1993 season, fans were stoked for what 2016 had in store. First up was the San Diego Chargers, a team who the Chiefs had owned for the past two seasons, sweeping them in both 2014 and 2015.

Arrowhead was the setting for what would become arguably the greatest home opener in Kansas City Chiefs history. It didn’t start off great though. In fact, it was downright ugly.

There’s a scene in Varsity Blues where the guys all go to a strip club the night before a big game. They stay up all night and into the next morning and then, as expected, get their butts whooped on the gridiron that night.

The montage from that movie where AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck” is playing while everyone gets destroyed is what the first half of this season opener was like for the Chiefs. Drive after drive Philip Rivers and the Chargers would march down the field and score. When given the chance to answer, the Chiefs would do nothing offensively.

With a 21-3 deficit at half time, it didn’t look good for the Chiefs. Marcus Peters was getting torched by Keenan Allen and the offense was ineffective during the entire first half.

With the Chargers tacking on another field goal in the third quarter, the game seemed like it could be out of reach for Kansas City. Fans were already trickling out of Arrowhead Stadium and another rough start to the year seemed imminent.

Down 24-10 heading into the fourth quarter, the Chiefs finally caught fire and didn’t slow down. They scored on three straight drives and were able to force overtime where they got the ball first and were able to win the game with a walk off touchdown.

It was one of the most amazing games I’ve ever seen from the Kansas City Chiefs. In any other season, they’d have lied down and gave up, but not the 2016 team. They didn’t let a 24-3 deficit hold them down and won 33-27 in overtime in what will forever be one of the best season openers ever.

  • Alex Smith went 34 of 48 with 363 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, and had another touchdown with his legs. His expression after running in the game winning touchdown was the most fired up I’ve ever seen Smith.
  • Spencer Ware rushed for 70 yards and a touchdown, but he really killed San Diego in the passing game, grabbing seven catches for 129 yards.
  • Rookie Tyreek Hill and Jeremy Maclin had the two receiving touchdowns.
  • Philip Rivers threw for 243 yards and a touchdown.
  • Melvin Gordon, after not rushing for a single touchdown as a rookie in 2015, had the first two of his career in this game.
  • Keenan Allen, who had been destroying Marcus Peters in the first half, had six catches for 63 yards before getting injured. That injury was the turning point in the game.
  • Dee Ford had the lone sack on Rivers.
  • This made it five straight wins for the Chiefs over the Chargers.

If I were ranking these games, this one would easily be in the top five. What looked like a horrible opening day blowout became a comeback for the ages and should be a game that reminds Chiefs fans of how special that 2016 season was.

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