Reid is best with byes, but this one’s different

Chiefs coach Andy Reid chuckled — again — when asked about his impressive record after the bye: 19-3 in 22 seasons as an NFL head coach, including 6-2 with the Chiefs. Reid also is 6-1 in the playoffs when he has a bye and his opponent does not.

There’s no secret, he insists. “I’m not sure what it is,” he told reporters again this week. “We go back and try to review everything and make whatever corrections. But I think everybody does that.”

It’s a bit circumstantial. Reid usually has good teams to begin with. Still, his teams are 90-65 (.581) before the bye and 19-3 (.864) in the game after the bye week.

And his teams often play well beyond the post-bye game. In 2015, the Chiefs were 3-5 at the bye but went 8-0 after the bye to finish 115. In 2019, they were 7-4 at the bye but went 5-0 after the bye to finish 12-4, then won the Super Bowl.

The Chiefs are 7-4 coming off the bye again this year, heading into Sunday’s game against Vic Fangio’s Broncos. But the circumstances are a little different.

The Super Bowl team was struggling into the bye, losing four of seven after a 4-0 start. This team is the opposite, winning four straight after starting 3-4. Will the bye stunt the Chiefs’ momentum? Probably not. A bye in Week 12 is usually welcomed.

But it’s worth watching. John Harbaugh has the next-best record after the bye (11-3). His Ravens fell behind the Vikings 17-3 in the first half after their bye in Week 9 but won 34-31 in OT. They did not cover.

Pick: Chiefs 24, Broncos 13.