Andy Reid reveals Chiefs’ ‘wake-up call’ ahead of Super Bowl run

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid told reporters on Monday that his team’s 20-14 home loss to the Las Vegas Raiders on Christmas Day ultimately helped Kansas City reach Super Bowl LVIII.

“I think that was a good wake-up call for us,” Reid said after losing to the Raiders, according to Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk. “They came out full of emotion. Antonio had them prepared to leave. But it was the feeling that stood out to you, which they toyed with. I think it gave our men a good little — for lack of a better term — wake-up call, that we need to pick things up here, that things aren’t simply going to fall into our laps.”

As noted by the Associated Press (h/t ESPN), the Raiders became the first NFL team since 2000 to win a game without completing a pass after the first quarter. In that contest’s second quarter, Las Vegas’ Bilal Nichols scooped up a fumble and returned it for a touchdown before Jack Jones delivered a pick-six seven seconds later.
The Chiefs fell to 9-6 in Week 16 but haven’t lost since. As of Monday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook listed Kansas City as a 1.5-point underdog for the Super Bowl LVIII matchup against the San Francisco 49ers on Feb. 11.

“And so, we’re taking everybody’s best shot, and here’s a team that went through some adversity and they stepped up and were able to present themselves like they did,” Reid added about the Raiders game. “We were able to learn from it and move on. I felt all along, though, we had the ability to do that. We just, like I said, we needed a little kick in the tail there.”

Interestingly, DraftKings listed Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes as the overall betting favorite at +120 odds to claim Super Bowl MVP honors. That would suggest the outlet believes Mahomes and his teammates will hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy on the second Sunday of February.