Don't Bet Against Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes in a Week One Game

Andy Reid has been consistently great in week ones in Kansas City, and even better with Mahomes

Drama, injuries, and suspensions have overshadowed what will be a special night in Kansas City on Thursday.

The Chiefs will drop another Super Bowl banner — and for the first time in front of a capacity crowd at Arrowhead Stadium. COVID protocols restricted the amount of people that could view the Chiefs’ special moment in 2020. This year, it’s going to be a loud, party atmosphere.

With the status of key players like Travis Kelce and Chris Jones (in his case very, very much) in question, and the team will be without EDGE Charles Omenihu for the first six weeks of the season, early season adversity exists. It could be perceived as dire times for the Chiefs — and the betting lines on the game has certainly been altered with the uncertainty — lines have moved from Chiefs -6.5 to as low as -4.5.

That doesn’t mean you should discount Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes, the coaching staff, and the players that will certainly step on the field in week one. The Chiefs are prepared from the jump to compete at a high level. Reid runs a notoriously challenging training camp, but the early season results seem to justify the work put in.

Reid has been exceptional in week one, and even better once Mahomes became the full time starter? How good? Well, here’s a look at how the Chiefs have performed relative to expectations in the decade (both pre- and post-Mahomes) in the Reid era.