Chiefs fans turn on ‘coward’ Andy Reid as Patrick Mahomes addresses Cowboys’ glaring $1.3bn stadium defect

There is a legitimate argument to be made that the Kansas City Chiefs dynasty is over.

Despite quarterback Patrick Mahomes throwing for 261 yards and four touchdowns in his first ever Thanksgiving game, the Chiefs suffered a 31-28 defeat to the Dallas Cowboys in a blockbuster clash at AT&T Stadium that has caused some to reevaluate Travis Kelce’s offseason retirement decision.

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But head coach Andy Reid has come under fire for his decision-making in critical situations, with many of the belief that he was too conservative in a game that could have significant ramifications for their postseason hopes.

For example, the Chiefs trailed 17-14 in the third quarter and had the ball at the Dallas 44-yard line on a 4th & 4, but Reid opted to send out his punt team instead of being more aggressive with his play-calling.

“Punting down 17-14, from the plus 44-yard line, with a defense that can’t stop a nosebleed, might be the most indefensible decision Reid has made since being with the Chiefs,” Matt Verderame of Sports Illustrated said on X (formerly Twitter). “He tends to be conservative, but that’s just mind boggling.”

They also punted on a 4th & 5 from the Dallas 49 earlier in the third.

“Of everything that went wrong that game … this is the one that will stick with me. They went for it 3 plays earlier on 4th down, on their own side of the field. I don’t understand it. They just quit,” one fan wrote.

“Reid has been amongst the most conservative coaches since ‘23. It kills their margin for error. It’s also a contributing factor to Mahomes being timid and/or flustered at times,” another commented. “He knows his coach won’t give him a chance on 4th down, so he tries too hard to be perfect downs 1-3.”

“Andy reverted back to the coward that he is and refused to go for it on 4th down when the team needed to put points on the board and they paid the price for it. Just complete coaching malpractice from all 3 phases of this team this year; offense, defense and special teams,” a third detailed.

The Chiefs finished the game recording just a 5-for-13 efficiency rate on third down, though they did go 3-for-3 on fourth downs.

Andy Reid accepts responsibility amid ‘coward’ claims

After the game, Reid shouldered the responsibility for that play call in particular, and explained his reasoning as to why he opted to punt the ball back to the Cowboys.

“Yeah, well, at that time we were doing okay. I thought we would be able to hold onto field position, so it didn’t work out
well,” Big Red told the media after the game.

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“I didn’t… Hindsight, I didn’t sit here and say go for it, but you’ve got to weigh that out. Give that one to me.”

Vitamin D stung the Chiefs as AT&T Stadium glare wreaks havoc

In a game that was touted to break viewership records due to the star power of both teams, the Sun played more of a starring role than expected.

The bright rays coming through the windows of AT&T Stadium have caused issues on multiple occasions since its $1.15 billion construction in 2009, with it having been built along an east-west alignment.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has continually shut down calls for curtains to be added, though.

But both Chiefs and Cowboys players were effected by the Sun throughout the contest, with ‘die-hard’ Cowboys fan Mahomes playing into the light in the second quarter, where he wound up scrambling to his right as he attempted to find an open man downfield.

The two-time NFL MVP was sacked from behind by former No. 1 overall pick Jadeveon Clowney for a seven-yard loss, but downplayed any issues caused by the Sun.

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“No…I played baseball growing up. The Sun’s part of it,” Mahomes told reporters after the contest. “It’s not something that we knew coming into the game. I’ve just got to find those guys whenever you’re scrambling and make those throws.”

One fan posted during the game: “It’s so funny to me that the Cowboys’ stadium is literally built at the exact angle of the sunset in Arlington Texas during the months the Cowboys play football”.

Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens, who was traded to Dallas in the off-season and could yet be placed under the $28 million franchise tag, also experienced issues with the Sun of his home stadium.

Quarterback Dak Prescott targeted the 24-year-old early in the second quarter, but it appeared that Pickens did not see the ball as he was late to try and attempt the catch, with the ball dropping a few feet in front of him and him shielding his eyes when looking back.

“It definitely did [impact him]. Some of the guys told me, too. That was my first time having that,” Pickens said. “Just coming on the crossing route, the sun was beating in my eyes, so I couldn’t see. But made up for it.”

Pickens caught six passes for 88 yards, whilst his teammate CeeDee Lamb, who has been caught out by the glare a few times during his career with the team exploded for seven catches for 112 yards and a touchdown.

The Cowboys now rise to 6-5-1, whilst the Chiefs return to Kansas City downtrodden with a 6-6 record, and three wins behind the AFC West-leading Broncos, who could yet extend that margin in Week 13.

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