Andy Reid is one of the best head coaches in NFL history, even if he only has one Super Bowl ring to show for it in his 24 years leading a team. Reid is one win away from winning his 20th postseason game as a head coach, which would tie Tom Landry for the second most in NFL history, and is one victory away from winning 10 postseason games with two different teams (Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs) -- the first head coach to accomplish that feat.
Reid is the only coach in NFL history to take two different teams to four straight conference championship games (the Eagles went from 2001 to 2004 and the Chiefs went from 2018 to 2021). He has made nine conference championship games (only Bill Belichick and Tom Landry have more) in his Hall of Fame career.
With 266 combined victories in the regular season and postseason, Reid is fifth on the all-time list among head coaches. He's the only coach in NFL history to win 100 games with two different franchises. The Chiefs are 117-45 in Reid's nine seasons (.722 win percentage), and Reid is 247-138-1 (.641 win percentage) in his 24 years as a head coach.
Not only has Reid excelled as a head coach himself, he has several assistants who have found success as head coaches in the NFL. Of Reid's former assistants, two are still in the postseason (Sean McDermott and Doug Pederson), two have won Super Bowl titles (Pederson and John Harbaugh) and eight of his 11 assistants to get head coaching jobs made the playoffs.
Though his assistants have flourished, Reid has dominated when facing off against them. Reid has never lost a game facing his former assistants in the postseason and is 24-8 against his former assistants in the regular season and playoffs.
Reid and the Chiefs square off against Pederson and the Jacksonville Jaguars this weekend, the first time Pederson and Reid will face off in the postseason. Here's a quick look at the Reid-Pederson connection and their long history together:
- Pederson was signed by the Green Bay Packers in 1995, when Reid was the tight ends/assistant offensive line coach
- Reid was Pederson's quarterbacks coach in 1997 and 1998 with the Packers
- Pederson was Reid's first starting quarterback as head coach in 1999 (Eagles)
- Reid hired Pederson as offensive quality control coach in 2009 (Eagles)
- Reid promoted Pederson to quarterbacks coach in 2011 (Eagles)
- Reid hired Pederson as his first offensive coordinator with Chiefs in 2013
- Pederson was hired by Eagles as head coach in 2016, became second Reid assistant coach to win Super Bowl (2017 season)
- Pederson is second Reid assistant to win division titles as head coach with two different teams (Eagles, Jaguars)
Reid and Pederson are squaring off in the playoffs for the first time, and Reid is 3-0 against his former assistants in the postseason. Here's a quick look back at Reid's history against his former assistant coaches when they face off in the playoffs:
2008 NFC wild-card round (Andy Reid vs. Brad Childress)
- Philadelphia Eagles 26, Minnesota Vikings 14
Childress was Reid's quarterbacks coach from 1999 to 2001 (he was on Reid's famous 1999 staff in his first year as a head coach) and was promoted to offensive coordinator when Rod Dowhower retired prior to the 2002 season. Childress was Reid's first assistant to land a head coaching job when the Vikings hired him in 2006, taking Minnesota to the playoffs in just his third season with the team.
The Eagles entered the playoffs on the final day as a No. 6 seed, playing the NFC North champions in the Metrodome. Asante Samuel's 44-yard interception return off Tavaris Jackson put the Eagles up 16-7 in the second quarter and Brian Westbrook's 71-yard screen pass from Donovan McNabb in the fourth quarter out Philadelphia up 23-14 and essentially sealed the victory.
McNabb finished 23 of 34 for 300 yards with a touchdown, interception, and a 92.8 rating while Westbrook had 121 scrimmage yards and a touchdown. The Eagles would reach the NFC Championship Game, while the Vikings would reach the NFC Championship Game the next year with Brett Favre.
2020 AFC Championship Game (Andy Reid vs. Sean McDermott)
- Kansas City Chiefs 38, Buffalo Bills 24
McDermott was an assistant under Reid from 1999 through 2010, starting as a scouting coordinator and moving up the coaching ladder. A Jim Johnson protege, McDermott served as a defensive quality control coach, assistant defensive backs coach, secondary coach, and linebackers coach before being promoted to defensive coordinator in 2009. Reid fired McDermott after the 2010 season and Ron Rivera -- another former Reid assistant -- hired McDermott in 2011 as his defensive coordinator with the Carolina Panthers.
McDermott was hired by the Buffalo Bills as head coach in 2017 and took Buffalo to the playoffs five times in his six seasons, including their first AFC East title since 1993 in the 2020 season. McDermott faced Reid in the AFC Championship Game, the second time Reid faced a former assistant in the playoffs.
Buffalo took an early 9-0 lead before Kansas City outscored them 38-15 the rest of the way. Patrick Mahomes went 29 of 38 for 325 yards and three touchdowns for a 127.6 rating while Travis Kelce finished with 13 catches for 118 yards and two scores. Tyreek Hill also had nine catches for 172 yards, including a 71-yard catch in the third quarter that set up the Chiefs' to take a 31-15 lead and control the rest of the game.
This wasn't the first Reid-McDermott meeting in the playoffs.
2021 AFC Divisional Playoffs (Andy Reid vs. Sean McDermott)
- Kansas City Chiefs 42, Buffalo Bills 36 (OT)
Reid and McDermott would square off for the second time in the playoffs a year later, resulting in one of the best playoff games ever. Three lead changes occurred in the final 1:54 of regulation, with Gabe Davis catching two touchdown passes (he had four on the day) during the stretch.
Davis caught a 27-yard touchdown catch to put Buffalo up 29-26 with 1:54 left in regulation before Patrick Mahomes responded with a 64-yard touchdown pass to Hill to make it 33-29 with 1:02 left. Davis caught a 19-yard touchdown from Josh Allen with 13 seconds left to put Buffalo up 36-33, setting up Mahomes for his magic.
Mahomes took the Chiefs 44 yards in 13 seconds to force overtime, as Harrison Butker connected on a 49-yard field goal for the improbable comeback. The Chiefs got the ball in overtime and never gave it up, as Mahomes led an eight-play, 75-yard scoring drive that resulted in an 8-yard touchdown pass to Travis Kelce to clinch the 42-36 victory.
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Reid remains unbeaten in the postseason against his assistants, but McDermott has remained the closest one to beating him. Can Pederson pull off the upset of his former coach? And if Reid can beat Pederson, can he get a third straight postseason meeting with McDermott?
The AFC playoffs have Reid's coaching tree all over it, showcasing the tremendous impact he has had around the league. Reid's legacy is not only defined by his success as a head coach, but the success of his assistants as well.
