Andy Reid roundup: 4 takeaways from the Chiefs’ head coach

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid met with the media via Zoom on Monday, about 16 hours after the team’s 31-17 win over the Los Angeles Chargers.

Listen to the full presser above or by clicking here.

Reid started the presser by saying he thought all three phases contributed to the win. He especially thought all three levels of the defense played well, and he highlighted that it pitched a shutout in the second half. On the offense, Reid complimented offensive coordinator Matt Nagy’s game plan while emphasizing how difficult it is to put up that many yards and points against a divisional rival.

Then Reid took questions, which we have rounded up in four takeaways:

Reid praised Charles Omenihu for coming back to the team in good shape.

The Chiefs signed the defensive lineman in the offseason but then served a six-game suspension before rejoining them for their 31-17 Week 7 win over the Chargers. Omenihu recorded a sack and two quarterback hits — and he deflected a pass that turned into an interception.

Reid recalled his conversation with Omenihu before he exited the building.

“He [said] he was going to stay on top of it,” said Reid. “He had really worked hard hard during training camp, so he put in a lot of extra time there at training camp and got himself in good shape, kind of understood what we were about here. He wanted to play in the preseason games. He wanted to get enough reps there, so he could have a little bit of that muscle memory coming back. He busted his tail.

“You got to hand it to the kid. When he was away, he worked hard and was able to come back in good shape. I’m not telling you that he’s not going to be sore today. He’ll be sore, but he’s a tough kid. He’ll work through it.”

Reid noted that Omenihu played a role in the four-man rush’s success against the Chargers.

It was clear throughout the game that the Chiefs didn’t necessarily need to blitz in order to pressure Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert, who was sacked five times.

“That’s a good offensive line,” started Reid. “I’d tell you that I thought our [defensive line] worked well together. I thought (defensive line coach) Joe [Cullen] had a good plan for them up front. We have talent there. I mentioned this last night: Mike Danna, he doesn’t get mentioned much. George [Karlaftis] doesn’t get mentioned much, [Derrick] Nnadi — all these guys kind of get buried in the mix, but those are all good football players.

“Not that Chris [Jones] doesn’t deserve the accolades. He definitely does. He plays at a very, very high level — arguably the best or one of the best in this league at what he does. Then you add Charles in the mix here, that’s good stuff. It’s a good group.”

Reid explained why he thought wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling had such a good game.

Valdes-Scantling had three catches for 84 yards and a touchdown, and he probably could have had another one on Patrick Mahomes’ interception.

“I thought we had good stuff in for him that popped,” said Reid of Valdes-Scantling. “We normally have a handful of plays in there that have his name on them, but sometimes the coverage is different — there are a few things that go into that.

“He had opportunities [Sunday] where he ran good routes, or Pat was scrambling and found him. Pat, I know, has a lot of trust in him, but [Sunday], they popped.”

Reid spoke about why Justyn Ross’ snap count was up against the Chargers.

Ross had 17 offensive snaps against the Chargers, which would have been a season-high had it not been for the time he saw late in the Chiefs’ blowout win against the Chicago Bears (29).

Ross saw more playing time but did not catch a pass.

“We’re trying to bring him along here,” said Reid. “I know he didn’t have the catches, but he was in on quite a few plays. I just think the more of that, the better for him. He’s got a lot of talent, and we want to keep bringing him along.”

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