Chiefs’ Playoff Hopes Fade After Andy Reid Admits “I Messed That One Up” on Costly 4th-Down Gamble.
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Kansas City, Mo. — In a desperate bid late Sunday night, Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid made a bold — and ultimately disastrous — decision that likely doomed the team’s playoff hopes. With the game tied 10–10 and just over ten minutes left, Reid opted to go for it on fourth-and-1 from his own 31-yard line — a call he had never made in his 27-year head-coaching career.
Instead of giving the ball to short-yardage back Kareem Hunt, Reid sent quarterback Patrick Mahomes into shotgun formation with a pass attempt to Rashee Rice. The throw fell incomplete — handing over possession deep in Chiefs territory. Minutes later, the Houston Texans cashed in the turnover with a go-ahead touchdown that proved decisive.
After the game, Reid offered a rare moment of contrition. “I tried to stay aggressive … I take full responsibility for that,” he said. “In hindsight, it was wrong. I messed that one up.”
The defeat dropped Kansas City to 6–7 for the season, snapping their run of nine straight division titles. Their playoff chances — once reasonably secure — now appear precarious as the margin for error shrinks dramatically.
Still, some analytics models defended the gamble: entering the play, the Chiefs’ win probability reportedly sat at about 51.7%. But execution fell short, and the failed conversion changed the momentum irreversibly.
With the season’s cliff approaching, Chiefs fans and analysts alike are left wondering whether Reid’s uncharacteristic aggression was a courageous gamble — or a fatal error.
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