Andy Reid Set To Face Former Disciple Doug Pederson

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Arguably no other head coaching tree is as prominent in the NFL, as the one under Andy Reid. We have seen some failures and some successes from his former disciples along the way. But for the most part, Doug Pederson has been successful in what he has done. His ability to turn both the Philadelphia Eagles and the Jacksonville Jaguars into immediate winners and playoff contenders speaks for itself. Obviously, he defeated the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl with Philadelphia, keeping the team glued together when Nick Foles had to step up for an injured Carson Wentz.

Meanwhile, Pederson has been among the most successful coaches in helping to develop young quarterbacks. As a former passer that played for Andy Reid, this is likely no surprise. Reid has of course been able to generate winning formulas with just about any style of quarterback. Largely, the same can be said of Pederson, based on his head coaching resume.

For instance, Patrick Mahomes went to arguably the best landing spot that he could have asked for, by joining Reid in Kansas City. As for Jacksonville, Trevor Lawrence was stuck with one hand tied behind his back as a rookie with Urban Meyer. Fast forward to this year, Pederson’s first in Jacksonville, and Lawrence is beginning to show signs of the passer that many believed he could be when entering the NFL out of Clemson.

With these two revered head coaches, it will make for a fascinating coaching matchup in Saturday’s Divisional Round playoff game. What similarities are present between the head coaches of the Chiefs and the Jaguars? Let’s kick it off.

Are There Any Areas Where These Coaches Have Possibly Improved?

As good as both Andy Reid and Doug Pederson are, they have each shown glaring weaknesses in the past. Both coaches have shown tremendous improvement in how they have handled certain instances of their offense. Starting with Reid, he has begun to trust the running game more this season. You would still like to see more of hit, here and there, nevertheless. But for his Kansas City tenure, the Chiefs have probably been the most balanced that they have been in the Mahomes era.

Elsewhere, Reid appears more comfortable in leaning on his current stable of running backs, like Isiah Pacheco, Jerick McKinnon and occasionally Ronald Jones late in the season. Additionally, Reid has shown more patience, in terms of how the offense goes about their pace. It may be more methodical than earlier years with Mahomes. It seems to do the trick, however.

As for Doug Pederson, there is a great attention to detail in how he is coaching to his players’ strengths. Sure, that was the case in Philadelphia as well. Yet, it seems to fly under the radar a bit more in Jacksonville. That is especially true, given the Jaguars started the season 2-6 and had to crawl out of a hole. Finally, Pederson has truly embraced more balance in his offense. There may not be a true 50-50 split between the pass and the run every game. Though, Pederson appears to be more open to using any and all options as a play caller now in Jacksonville. In the process, opponents are being kept on their heels, no matter the down or distance.

How Did Reid And Pederson Attack Defenses First Time Around?

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If you look back at the regular season meeting between the Chiefs and the Jaguars, Andy Reid and Doug Pederson attacked the opposing defense a little differently. Looking back at it, Kansas City looked to use horizontal stretch routes against the Jaguars. The Chiefs found success in hitting on quicker throws, then forcing Jacksonville to make instant tackles in space, as a result. Once Kansas City attacked horizontally, it eventually opened up vertical shots up the seams. Mahomes did well to use his legs and step up in the pocket as the game got deeper.

On the other hand, Pederson looked to attack vertically through the air. It was a day in which Lawrence distributed the ball to all areas of the field. Despite not being accurate in every spot, this forced the Chiefs to come through in one-on-one scenarios. Pederson was able to design several man-beaters that allowed Christian Kirk and Zay Jones to get on top of the defensive coverage. In the end, that duo combined for 17 catches, 172 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns against Kansas City. Lastly, we know that Pederson is not afraid to provide his own wrinkle of outside stretch action on play action passes. The same can be said for his use of screen passes.

Can Either Coach Manifest A Complete Performance For Their Squad?

Not only do these two head coaches mirror each other. But, the Chiefs and the Jaguars have each struggled to produce many complete games over the last two months. Kansas City and Jacksonville both have a tendency to start slow. Look no further than last week’s Wild Card game against the Los Angeles Chargers or the Week 18 win over the Tennessee Titans, from Jacksonville’s perspective. Thankfully for the Jaguars, Lawrence was on fire in the second half last week and the defense played inspired against Tennessee. The Chiefs had slow offensive starts against the Houston Texans and Denver Broncos down the stretch. Overall, neither team can likely afford another slow start in this upcoming Divisional Round playoff game.

How can Reid and Pederson help to avoid that from happening? Certainly, getting the offenses into an early rhythm is a must. Kansas City has seemingly found that by utilizing the play action pass game recently. To boot, the Jaguars have to be willing to take some shots in the intermediate to deep passing game early, rather than stick to quick hitters out of the gate. For Andy Reid and Doug Pederson, they will have to be airtight early on in this highly anticipated coaching chess match.

Be on the lookout for more FPC Chiefs articles and analysis throughout this week. For more great sports and NFL content, stay tuned to Full Press Coverage.

– Braden Holecek is the Kansas City Chiefs managing editor for Full Press Coverage. He covers the NFL. Like and follow on Follow @ebearcat9//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Follow @FPC_Chiefs//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js and Facebook.