Andy Reid got another victory against Sean McDermott when the Kansas City Chiefs edged out the Buffalo Bills in Sunday's divisional round, the third time Reid has gotten the better of his former assistant in the postseason. Reid is actually undefeated against former assistant coaches in the playoffs, sporting a 5-0 record against them in his 25 NFL seasons.
Will that change on Sunday? Reid will be facing another former assistant in the AFC Championship Game in Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, who was Reid's special teams coordinator and defensive backs coach from 1999 through 2007. Reid has never faced Harbaugh in the postseason, making this matchup extra special.
"Obviously, it's a big deal in terms of the relationship," Harbaugh said on Monday, via a team transcript. "It goes back a long, long way. [I have the] utmost respect for Andy [and the] utmost appreciation for what he's accomplished as a coach. We were together for 10 years – the first 10 years [of my career] there in Philly. We were in a lot of Championship Games [and] a lot of playoff games.
"I learned so much. I just learned so much as a coach and as a person. Then, competing against him now [for] all these years has been really challenging. Andy's a great coach. He has a great staff. You can name all the guys: [Chiefs tight ends coach] Tom Melvin, [Chiefs assistant head coach and special teams coordinator] Dave Toub – all the guys that have come through there that we knew from the [Philadelphia] Eagles.
"It's just a very talented group of people, and [I] have the utmost respect for them."
As for Reid's success against his own coaching tree, he has faced McDermott three times in the playoffs, Brad Childress once and Doug Pederson once, emerging victorious in all of them.
Andy Reid vs. former assistants in playoffs
| Former assistant | Position under Reid | Year | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
Brad Childress | QB Coach/Offensive Coordinator | 2008 | Reid's Eagles beat Vikings, 26-14 |
Sean McDermott | Defensive Coordinator/Various Roles | 2020 | Reid's Chiefs beat Bills, 38-24 |
Sean McDermott | Defensive Coordinator/Various Roles | 2021 | Reid's Chiefs beat Bills, 42-36 (OT) |
Doug Pederson | QB Coach/Offensive Coordinator | 2022 | Reid's Chiefs beat Jaguars, 27-20 |
Sean McDermott | Defensive Coordinator/Various Roles | 2023 | Reid's Chiefs beat Bills, 27-24 |
The Reid coaching tree is strong in the AFC, as the three top teams are Reid and his assistants. There's a reason why Reid plays his former assistants in the playoffs often, with Sunday being no exception.
