Kansas City Chiefs HC Andy Reid is shouldering the blame for the miscues that plagued the offense in Week 1. 

The team started off relatively hot in the first half, especially Patrick Mahomes. Consistency through a full four quarters of football wasn't in the cards for the defending Super Bowl champions. Mahomes would go 9-for-22, for 79 passing yards and an interception that bounced off the hands of WR Kadarius Toney. 

Reid tried his best to see the good that was accomplished, but he also recognized the fatal flaw in his team's 2023 debut.

"There were some good things on offense," Reid began. "We've just got to be more consistent. I'll take that. We did have some good plays in there, but it's a disappointing loss. It's a good football team that we lost to. We've got to play better and we've got to coach better. So that's what we'll do." 

The Chiefs were credited with 4 drops, all from wide receivers during the Week 1 performance. That was the second-most dropped passes in a single game during the Patrick Mahomes era. Reid considered it mostly an aberration, but he notes it's something that needs to be fixed moving forward.

"It's unusual for us to drop that many passes," Reid said. "So, we'll go back and work on that. You've got to take care of business and these guys know that. So, we've got to fix that." 

Another item that was in desperate need of fixing was the Chiefs' short-yardage plays. 

In the fourth quarter, a direct snap to Blake Bell was wholly ineffective and the team lost three yards on the third down play. Earlier in the quarter they had back-to-back failed plays on second-and-short and third-and-short, which saw the team settle for a field goal. 

"We lost ground on them," Reid said. "So, we've got to do a better job there. I've got to take care of that. We worked like crazy on our short yardage. For it to happen like that is not good."   

The worst part about it is that this was an area of focus during training camp and the preseason because the team struggled with short-yardage players in 2022.

"We've got to get better," Reid said. "We weren't very good at it last year. We spent a lot of time working on that. But I'll take that. That's my responsibility to get that taken care of." 

It's sure to be a long work week ahead for Reid's team as they'll look to put this loss behind them and turn the page as they head on the road to face the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 2.

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Featured image via Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports