The Kansas City Chiefs have enjoyed remarkable consistency on the coaching staff over the years, mostly keeping the same leaders in place as they’ve built this dynasty. However, things have stagnated offensively over the last two years and fans are justifiably demanding change.
Head coach Andy Reid, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, and a number of key assistants have been in Kansas City for the duration of this run. However, the largest change in the last five years came when offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy left after beating the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl 57.
Bieniemy was widely considered to be the disciplinarian of the staff. Since he moved on, Matt Nagy took over, and the offense’s production fell off a cliff. Perhaps the decline is just a coincidence, but there’s a growing case to be made that Nagy needs to be replaced to get the once high-flying offense back on track.
In the first five years of Patrick Mahomes’ career, all with Bieniemy, the Chiefs led the NFL in yards per play three times and ranked second twice. Once Nagy took over, Kansas City fell to ninth in 2023 and cratered to 22nd last year.
While the offense fared well in the AFC Championship victory against the Buffalo Bills, things fell apart in the Super Bowl as the Eagles’ defensive line thoroughly dominated. Nagy had no answers. He’s generally beloved by players, but sometimes, as Bieniemy proved, tough love is necessary to get the desired results.
One could easily explain away the Chiefs’ offensive mistakes. They had the NFL’s worst wide receiver group last season and in 2024, suffered injuries to Rashee Rice, Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown, Isiah Pacheco, and more. Any offense would’ve struggled with that many ailments, yet the embarrassment in the Super Bowl came with a healthy group.
Reid is the sun around which the offense orbits. Everything ultimately falls at his feet, though it’s still curious that no changes were made following the meltdown. If Nagy can’t get the offense rolling again, calls for his firing will only grow louder.
We’ll see how things look early on in the 2025 campaign but hopefully,
