KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Andy Reid indicated Friday it was OK to hurt from Thursday night’s stunning defeat to the Denver Broncos.
Sept. 17, 2015; Kansas City, MO: Chiefs coach Andy Reid (right) and running back coach Eric Bieniemy (left) on the sidelines in Week 2 at Arrowhead Stadium. (Chris Neal/The Topeka Capital-Journal)
The Chiefs head coach, however, left little doubt three days later where the team’s focus fell.
“If you’re still on that game, you and I are in a different place,” Reid said Monday during a media conference call. “We’re deep into the Packers and getting ourselves ready there.”
The Chiefs (1-1) will travel to Green Bay to take on the Packers (2-0) for a Monday night game in Week 3.
And the Chiefs head coach got in a little scouting Sunday night while watching the Packers defeat the Seattle Seahawks, 27-17.
“They’re a very good football team,” Reid said of the Packers.
A second straight game against a perennial NFL power allows the Chiefs, a team with playoff aspirations, the chance to see how they stack up against the rest of the league.
“We consider ourselves to be a good football team and we love the opportunity to play good football teams,” Reid said. “I think that’s why you’re in this thing, to challenge yourself. You work like crazy to be a good team yourself and you cherish those opportunities to be challenged. That’s what kind of game this will be.”
INCREASED WORK
Safety Eric Berry started in Week 2 and played on 71 of the Chiefs’ 73 total defensive snaps. Berry also played six snaps on special teams.
“We’re playing a bunch of different personnel groups out there and he did start in the game in the personnel group that he was in,” Reid said. “He’s just been doing well. He keeps getting better and better.”
The increase in snaps comes after Berry totaled 48 snaps of the team’s 77 total defensive snaps and seven snaps on special teams in Week 1.
Reid believes Berry, who returned to football less than a year after being diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma, isn’t far off to returning to form.
“I think he’s pretty close,” Reid said. “I’d probably say he’s pretty close. I haven’t seen where it’s not and I can’t see that right now, before I could tell you. Maybe he wasn’t reading or his hips or something like that, but it looks like he’s got all of his stuff, he really does.”
THIRD-DOWN WOES
The Chiefs offense enters Week 3 converting 3 of 20 on third-down opportunities, including a 0 of 7 showing against the Broncos, for a woeful 15 percent efficiency rating.
So is the inability to convert on third downs a result of play calling or the Houston Texans and Denver defenses the Chiefs have faced through two games?
Reid chose to hold himself accountable.
“I take full responsibility for that,” Reid said. “I’m always going to do that. We’ve got to fix that part. That’s not good enough. We’ll get that taken care of.”
Reid’s offense could get well on third-down efficiency in Week 3.
The Packers have allowed the Chicago Bears (11 of 17) and Seahawks (3 of 9) to combine on 14 of 26 third-down conversions through two games.
That is a whopping 53 percent conversion rate allowed.
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Herbie Teope is the lead Chiefs beat writer for ChiefsDigest.com and The Topeka Capital-Journal. Use the contact page to reach him or find him on Twitter: @HerbieTeope.
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