Andy Reid changes tune about controversial fourth-down call in Chiefs' loss to Texans

Arguably the biggest moment of the Kansas City Chiefs' 20-10 loss to the Houston Texans on Sunday night involved the Chiefs failing to pick up a first down on a 4th-and-1 at their own 31-yard line when the game was tied 10-10 with 10:27 remaining in the fourth quarter. 

Shortly after the Chiefs fell to 6-7 on the season, head coach Andy Reid acknowledged he "messed that one up." While speaking with reporters on Monday, Reid sang a different tune. 

Andy Reid thinks fourth-down risk was worth reward

"This is terrible to say in a situation like this because we didn’t win and we didn’t get that, but I would probably do that same thing again," Reid said about his fourth-down call, per Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk. "But, I also know, when you don’t get ‘em, it can be a problem, especially when they’re in that field-goal-range area. But, again, I thought the risk-reward was right for that time. It slapped me in the face, though. It didn’t go that way."

A Texans offense that had been held to just 10 points for over three quarters of play took advantage of the short field by producing a go-ahead touchdown drive following the defensive stop. Nevertheless, Reid indicated on Monday that he doesn't regret not punting the ball away in that instance. 

"Well, listen, we’ve been so good in that area — whether it was run or pass," Reid explained about his fourth-down decision. "And so, I felt we were in a good position. I thought we had a good play. Again, I thought it was the right thing to do then."

Andy Reid says "anything’s possible" regarding Chiefs' pursuit of a playoff berth

The Chiefs head into this coming Sunday's home game versus the Los Angeles Chargers (9-4) trailing three teams in the battle for the AFC's final wild-card postseason berth. As of Tuesday morning, the ESPN Football Power Index gave Kansas City an 11.3 percent chance to qualify for the playoffs. 

"I have learned over the years that anything’s possible," Reid said. "So, I communicated that to the guys. They were down in the dumps after [Sunday's] game. I mean, they put their heart and soul into that thing, and we came up short. But, at the same time, there’s a way you’ve got to pick yourself up and get yourself going again. And hope is always a good motivator there."

On Tuesday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had Kansas City as a 4.5-point favorite over the Chargers. That line shows at least some NFL insiders aren't quite ready to bury the 2025 Chiefs just yet.