Andy Reid Failing Chiefs with Pass-Heavy Play-Calling

After a well-called game against the New England Patriots in Week 4 that earned the Kansas City Chiefs their most dominant win of the season on a national stage, coach Andy Reid seemed to have misplaced that blueprint for success Sunday at Levi's Stadium. 

Though the Chiefs remained competitive until the end, a late interception by Alex Smith halted a potential comeback. But this game was not lost by Smith. Rather, Reid's play-calling, puzzling at times and frustrating at others, failed to take advantage of Kansas City's biggest strength: its backfield. 

With Jamaal Charles back in action after suffering a high ankle sprain in Week 2 against the Denver Broncos and Knile Davis' emergence, it was obvious in the Chiefs' win over New England that the two work even better as a tandem than alone. 

Together, they had 199 yards and a touchdown; Charles averaged 5.1 yards per carry on his 18 attempts, while Davis carried the rock 16 times for an eye-popping 6.7 yards per attempt. 

Looking at the outcomes of the Chiefs' five games this season suggests that Reid should be splitting the workload between Charles and Davis, or leaning on Davis as the primary rusher—not on Charles, as was the case against San Francisco.

Week	Result	Jamaal Charles (Att, Yds, TD)	Knile Davis (Att, Yds, TD)
Week 1 vs. TEN	L, 26-10	7 att., 19 yds, 0 TD	1 att, 7 yds, 0 TD
Week 2 @ DEN	L, 24-17	2 att, 4 yds, 0 TD	22 att, 79 yds, 2 TD
Week 3 @ MIA	W, 34-15	-	32 att, 132 yds, 1 TD
Week 4 vs. NE	W, 41-14	18 att, 92 yds, 1 TD	16 att, 107 yds, 0 TD
Week 5 @ SF	L, 22-17	15 att, 80 yds, 0 TD	2 att, 6 yds, 0 TDs

Reid told reporters at the NFL combine in February that he wanted to get Davis more involved in the offense, and that his second year in the league was going to provide more opportunities to use him than his rookie year did. Week 4 was evidence that Reid's thinking was on point; Davis' bruising style and elusiveness are a welcome foil to Charles' speed and pass-catching skills. 

So why, against the 49ers on Sunday, did they only share 17 carries between them—and only two of those for Davis, at that?

Moreover, why did Reid's play-calling feature multiple passes in 3rd-and-short situations?

The Chiefs have not won a game yet this season in which they've passed the ball more often than they've run it.

While clearly that's not the end-all reason why Kansas City fell to Tennessee, Denver and San Francisco (two of which have top-10 run defenses), the balance in play-calling and specifically not calling on Charles and Davis to extend drives have been direct factors in the Chiefs' losses.

Week	Result	Total Plays	Passing Att.	Rushing Att.
Week 1 vs. TEN	L, 26-10	56	35	17
Week 2 @ DEN	L, 24-17	75	42	31
Week 3 @ MIA	W, 34-15	71	25	41
Week 4 vs. NE	W, 41-14	66	26	38
Week 5 @ SF	L, 22-17	50	31	19

On Sunday, six of Smith's 31 passing attempts came on 3rd-and-4 or shorter, which should be easy third-down conversion territory when Charles and Davis are averaging 4.3 and 4.5 yards per attempt, respectively, on the season. 

Though Smith's touchdown connection with Travis Kelce was on a 3rd-and-2 at San Francisco's 2-yard line, many of the other passing plays called in 3rd-and-short situations came up, well, short.

There was a particularly puzzling moment in the Chiefs' third drive when they attempted a pass to Dwayne Bowe on 2nd-and-1 in San Francisco territory. When that didn't work, on 3rd-and-1 Smith then looked to Kelce through the air. That pass, too, fell incomplete.

Late in the third quarter, leading 17-16, the Chiefs found themselves in a 3rd-and-4 in 49ers territory. Rather than hand the ball to Charles or Davis, Reid called a pass, and Smith couldn't connect with tight end Demetrius Harris, a former college basketball player and undrafted free agent signed by the Chiefs in 2013. 

The drive ended in a punt, and the Chiefs lost their lead shortly thereafter when Phil Dawson scored a field goal in the fourth quarter.

Kansas City didn't score again. 

This kind of play-calling by Reid is what got the Chiefs into trouble back in Week 1 against the Titans. Kansas City only ran the ball 17 times, and once again Davis was essentially a non-factor (though this was admittedly before he broke out in place of the injured Charles in Week 2). 

There, again, were two incomplete pass attempts on a 2nd-and-5 and 3rd-and-5 with Charles and Davis waiting in the wings late in the third quarter.

Then, the final nail—on the Chiefs' last drive of the game Reid called two passes on a 2nd-and-4 and 3rd-and-4. The second was intercepted, ending a game the Chiefs and Reid's coaching had no business winning anyway. 

Against Miami and New England, it all came together for Reid and his offense. He used Smith effectively but sparingly (relatively), allowing the run to set the tone. Yes, neither Miami nor New England has a top run defense, while San Francisco's was fourth heading into Week 5, and Reid will call plays based on what the defense will give him. 

But when Reid is able to get Charles and Davis more involved, the entire offense benefits. Smith has had his highest completion rates of the season—76.0 percent against the Dolphins and 76.9 against the Patriots—when he's not asked to do it all, when Reid's play-calling allows him to share the load. 

Tim Umphrey/Associated Press

If the Chiefs have to use the pass to set up the run in future games, so be it. But Reid cannot abandon the run altogether and expect to win.

The losses so far this season prove that, but so does the film, and reviewing it is what will have to get Reid's attention in order to improve his play-calling. The Chiefs enter a bye week in Week 6 before facing the Chargers and their stingy run defense, and they won't win that matchup with fewer than 20 carries.