Kansas City Chiefs: Best Games From the Andy Reid Era

BEST GAMES OF THE ANDY REID ERA

NOVEMBER 13, 2016 VS CAROLINA PANTHERS

The Chiefs were 6-2 when they traveled to Charlotte to face the NFC Champion Carolina Panthers. The Panthers weren’t having nearly as much success after a trip to the Super Bowl and Cam Newton‘s MVP season, but they were handing it to the Chiefs early on in this one.

Carolina was up 17-3 at half time and once again, the Chiefs offense looked useless. They were nearly shut out in the first half, but Cairo Santos was able to knock a field goal through the uprights with less than a minute left in the second quarter.

It took until the fourth quarter, but the KC Chiefs continued to be a comeback team. Down 17-6 with 11 minutes left to go in regulation, Cam Newton was picked off by Eric Berry in a return that could never be duplicated.

Berry took the interception 42 yards the other way, weaving his way through defenders and finding the end zone to double his team’s score. After a successful two-point conversion, it was only a three-point lead for the Panthers, and Chiefs fans were on the edge of their seats.

The Chiefs would tie the game on their next offensive drive, but there was plenty of time left on the clock for reigning MVP Cam Newton. While the Panthers would punt the ball away, the Chiefs didn’t do anything on their next offensive drive and it looked like KC would be playing for overtime.

Carolina had the ball on their own 20-yard line with 30 seconds left and didn’t have to go far to kick the game winning field goal. Newton connected on a pass to Kelvin Benjamin, who took it 14 yards down the field before the unthinkable happened.

Marcus Peters, rather than going for the tackle, went for the football. He pried it out of Benjamin’s hands, picked up the ball, and ran it ten yards the other way. It was KC’s ball on Carolina’s 29-yard line with 20 seconds left. All they had to do was get as close as possible for Cairo Santos to kick the game winner.

After a quick 11-yard run by Spencer Ware, Santos lined up for the 37-yard field goal as Chiefs fans held their breath. The kick was up… and it was… GOOD! The Chiefs watched the ball sail through the uprights as the clock ticked down to zero and the team sat at 7-2 on the year.

• Smith went 25 of 38 for 178 yards and an interception. The rest of the Chiefs offense didn’t do much either.
• Newton completed 23 of 38 passes for 261 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. He rushed for 54 yards and a score. Devin Funchess had the lone receiving touchdown for Carolina.
• The Panthers had a winning percentage of 99.2 right before the Berry interception. It would only plummet from there.

This game is one of the best for obvious reasons. The Chiefs looked dead in the water, but something kicked them in the butt again and they got it going. The Berry pick-six and the Peters strip fumble both led to the team getting right back into the game and from there, the offense was able to get the job done enough.

This was just another game where we saw how damn good of a safety Eric Berry is. Without his interception, it’s doubtful the Chiefs would have ever gotten anything going. That’s what leaders do, man.