It was the 4th quarter during the Black Friday game against the Raiders. Head coach Andy Reid was on the sidelines. Suddenly, he discussed something with his offensive line, Andy Heck, and benched the left tackle, Wanya Morris. Playing in his 2nd NFL season, it left the LT disappointed with his performance in the game.

Talking to reporters after the game, Morris said, “It sucks to get your a– beat, but you can have two responses: You can lay down or you can get back up and try something new. I’m going to try something new.” That’s something one would expect from a Super Bowl winner. The LT struggled on the field as the game officials called 2 pass interference (PI) penalties on him.

Things got serious in the 4th quarter as Patrick Mahomes was hit too many times. He experienced déjà vu during the Week 12 matchup against the Panthers, getting sacked five times for 40 yards once again. With 2 minutes and 9 seconds remaining in the 4th quarter, the Chiefs were on 2nd-and-5 when Raiders DE Maxx Crosby sacked the quarterback. From Andy Reid’s perspective, and even for Chiefdom, protecting their quarterback is the most important priority at this point.

Though Morris also apologized to his Chiefs’ teammates, the need is to work on their plan and find the game plan to reduce the mistakes. It’s high time. They have become the 1st team to qualify for the 2024 NFL playoffs. And the strategies have to be changed. There have been 4 games this season where they won with 3 or fewer points difference. That also is a danger signal.

Andy Reid talks about his decision after the victory

The HC was asked about his benching decision in the post-game conference. While talking about the moment, he revealed, “Wanya. He was struggling a little bit. We made that move just to solidify things. Pat took a few hits there. We were struggling at times.” That’s right. But there is no time to sit relaxed now.

This season has been extraordinary for Andy Reid and his team, as they lost many players to injury in the starting games. RB Isiah Pacheco was one of them. He fractured his fibula in the week 2 win against the Bengals. After 9 weeks, when he returned to the gridiron, he came out as the leading pass rusher with 7 rushes in 44 yards. That’s wonderful for the locker room.

The victory has shown them the areas they need to work on. The 20% red zone efficiency is another thing that needs immediate attention. 5 more games, and we will be in the most important part of the season. Can they do it? The remaining season will serve as a precursor.