The Kansas City Chiefs won’t be playing today as they have Week 12 off for their bye week. This is actually the second consecutive season in which the Chiefs have had a bye week during Week 12 and face the Oakland Raiders in Week 13. Kansas City won last season’s game 40-33 in Oakland.
This realization got me thinking about whether the Chiefs under Andy Reid do better with an early-season bye week or a late-season bye week. Each season is different in terms of players, schedules, challenges and injuries. However, Reid seems to approach the bye week the same way every season. He gets his players extra rest and spends extra time studying and game-planning for the upcoming opponent.
Here’s a look at when the bye week has occurred in each season since Reid arrived in Kansas City and the team record in games occurring after the bye:
| Season | Bye Week | Record After Bye |
| 2018 | Week 12 | 3-2 |
| 2017 | Week 10 | 4-3 |
| 2016 | Week 5 | 10-2 |
| 2015 | Week 9 | 8-0 |
| 2014 | Week 6 | 7-4 |
| 2013 | Week 10 | 2-5 |
Apart from 2013, the Chiefs have had a winning record after the bye in each season. The team has seemingly done their best work under Reid when the bye week occurs in Week 9 or earlier. From 2014-2016 the Chiefs had a 25-6 record after the bye week. During the three seasons when they had a bye week in Week 10 or later, Kansas City had a 9-10 record.
If this trend continues, the Chiefs won’t win out in 2019. However, they could certainly finish the season with a winning record. It’s also entirely possible that the team reverses the trend. This team will certainly face its challenges with getting some more players healthy for the stretch run.
At the very least, it’s nice to know that in general Kansas City has done a great job after the bye week under Reid, with a combined 34-16 record after the over the course of six seasons.