Andy Reid Played to Lose, and The Chiefs Did

The words of Herm Edwards echoed through my head at the end of the AFC Championship Game.

“You play to win the game.”

While much of the Monday morning quarterbacking is focused on the Chiefs failure at the end of the first half, I am much more pre-occupied with their failure at the end of the second half.

Yes, the Chiefs should’ve scored at least three points at the end of the first half with the ball on the 1-yard line. Time ran out and they did not. It’s hard for me to get too worked up over that miscue. The Chiefs were still up 21–10. They were still getting the ball to start the second half. That play is not why they lost the game.

The scenario that did lose them the game came at the very end, when it seemed a forgone conclusion that the Chiefs were about to re-take the lead and assume their rightful place in the Super Bowl.

However, Andy Reid and the Chiefs decided to play for a tie, and now they’re not playing again for a very, very long time.

Down 24–21, the Chiefs methodically and impressively moved down the field. No, it wasn’t quite the spectacular late-game performance of a week prior versus the Bills, but it appeared to be more than enough.