Andy Reid, Chiefs Look To Continue Hot September Starts -

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The Kansas City Chiefs open the 2023 NFL regular season on Thursday night against the Detroit Lions. Kansas City will raise their second Super Bowl banner in a four-year span. On the flip side, the Lions are looking to live up to the immense hype that they are receiving. Detroit has not made the playoffs since 2016. Though, they are a trendy pick to make the postseason and win a playoff game. Andy Reid knows that the Lions will not be an easy out for Kansas City to open the year.

However, the Chiefs and Coach Reid have historically started off the season hot. September is sometimes a month where most teams are in the middle of a feeling out process. Even the best teams at the end of the season go through their fair share of ups and downs in September. But in recent history, Kansas City has been as hot as any team with their September starts, thanks to the tutelage of Andy Reid.

What are some fascinating tidbits surrounding the Chiefs and their hot September starts? We will look into some underlying numbers and see how that could translate into opening night against Detroit. Let’s kick it off.

Week 1 Domination

The Kansas City Chiefs will be entering their eleventh season of Andy Reid’s coaching tenure. Overall, Kansas City is a combined 9-1 in Week 1 games under Reid. The only Week 1 loss was by a score of 26-10 to the Tennessee Titans to open the 2014 season. Not only have the Chiefs won eight consecutive Week 1 games, but they also currently have the longest active winning streak in Week 1. The Chargers, Saints and Seahawks are the next closest, with four consecutive Week 1 victories.

If you include the entire month of September, the Chiefs have gone a combined 25-8 in that month under Andy Reid. Included are wins against top contenders, victories in primetime viewing windows and finding ways to get the job done without some important players being available.

Since Patrick Mahomes became the starting quarterback, his Week 1 numbers have been impeccable. The Kansas City passer holds a 5-0 record in Week 1 so far. To boot, he has thrown 18 touchdown passes with zero interceptions in season openers. For those that do not remember, Mahomes was a stellar 30 of 39 passing for 360 passing yards, with five touchdown passes in last year’s Week 1 showing against the Arizona Cardinals.

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Taming The Lions

In his head coaching career, Andy Reid is a combined 5-1 against the Detroit Lions all-time. While this particular Week 1 foe has had their share of down years and poor starts, Detroit has been building the right way. The Lions have built a versatile and dynamic offense led by Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown and a dominant offensive line. Meanwhile, their young defense has been highly productive right away, especially when creating pressure and forcing turnovers.

In order to tame the Lions once again, Coach Reid will likely look to get his guys playing fast out of the gate. From an offensive standpoint, Kansas City will mostly look to spread the ball all over the yard. It is not that far-fetched to envision them running the ball a bit more, however. That is especially true, if Travis Kelce is ultimately unavailable on Thursday night. Nevertheless, Andy Reid may look to force the Lions into taking shots and risks down the field early on.

Why Andy Reid’s Teams Have Started Off Hot

Why have Andy Reid’s teams been able to start of so hot in September? First and foremost, many players and media alike discuss how grueling his training camps are. Chiefs players have talked about being prepared for the start of the season from an endurance and conditioning standpoint in recent seasons. Mahomes even said that if you can make it through an Andy Reid training camp, you can make it through an entire NFL season.

Of course, it is not just about endurance and conditioning. The Chiefs pride themselves on being able to execute many layers of their offensive attack right away. Some teams may need a couple of weeks to get in sync. Yet, Kansas City is looking to get on a roll with an initial script that is both well-rounded and gets their top performers in a groove. All told, Coach Reid and the Chiefs know that they are receiving an opponent’s best shot instantly to start a new season. The Detroit Lions will not be any different. At the same time, Kansas City and Reid have continued to become more efficient by each passing September.

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.