With ‘ultimate leader’ Andy Reid at helm, Chad Henne likes Chiefs’ Super Bowl chances

Unlike their past Super Bowl runs the Kansas City Chiefs went through an extended rough patch during the regular season. They lost five times in an eight-game stretch; many doubted whether they would make it back to the championship game.

Chad Henne, who made three trips to the Super Bowl with the Chiefs, was confident his former team would get things figured out.

“There’s always concern,” said Henne, a Wilson grad, “but nobody (on that team) panics. Coach Reid’s not a panic coach.”

Henne spent the final five seasons of his 13-year NFL career in Andy Reid’s locker room. As a quarterback he logged many hours working closely with Reid and said the coach’s unflappable nature is one of the biggest reasons the Chiefs find themselves in the Super Bowl for the fourth time in five years, poised to become the NFL’s first repeat champ in 19 years.

“He is the ultimate leader,” Henne said of Reid. “He’ll address what needs to be corrected on a Tuesday. After that, he’s one to say: ‘Let’s learn from it, the game’s behind us, now we’ve gotta get on to the next opponent.

‘We don’t have time to sit there and dwell on every single thing. We understand what we can do better. Now we’re on to the next opponent and we need to figure out how to get a win here.’ He’s always had a quick trigger to move on, even after you win.”

The Chiefs were 9-6 and not in many Super Bowl conversations after dropping a Monday night game at home against the Las Vegas Raiders. Many doubted they could go on the road and win in the playoffs, something Patrick Mahomes had never done.

Henne, currently an assistant coach at Wilson, believes the steady direction provided by Reid helped keep the Chiefs together and believing they would make it back to the Super Bowl.

“A lot of (the issues) were self-inflicted wounds,” Henne said, “either dropping the ball or pre-snap penalties. It was things we were doing to hurt ourselves rather than the other team beating us. That was probably one of the points of emphasis that Coach Reid addressed: ‘First, we need to stop hurting ourselves; second, we can all up our game personally and as a team.’ ”

The Chiefs have rebounded and played much better down the stretch. They won their final two regular season games, opened the playoffs with a win over the Miami Dolphins, then won at Buffalo and Baltimore to set up Sunday’s match-up against the San Francisco 49ers.

Henne believes the Chiefs have reshaped themselves since that midseason slump and have emerged as a better, more well-rounded team. It took time, with a young receiving corps, a pair of new offensive tackles and the emergence of a new running threat, Isiah Pacheco. Mahomes, too, has gone through a bit of a metamorphosis. The former gunslinger has become more of a game-manager.

“Each game, you feel more comfortable with your offense, more used to what you’re doing,” Henne said. “That took some getting used to. We have two new tackles (Donovan Smith and Jawaan Taylor). Understanding where Patrick’s going to be at on certain protections, or play-action passes, is another difference for them.

“I think they just started growing (as a team). You had that lapse, but (since then) the run game picked up with Pacheco and Patrick started being smarter with the ball. I think he realized the defense was playing so well that he didn’t have to do it all himself.”

Mahomes, statistically, has had his worst season, in large part because his wideouts lead the league in drops.

For the first time during Reid’s time in Kansas City defense is the strong suit of the Chiefs.  They’re ranked No. 2 in the league in scoring defense and No. 2 in total defense.

Mahomes has adjusted to that. The NFL’s premier quarterback realizes he doesn’t have to win games solely with his arm or feet.

Protecting Mahomes, Henne said, will be one of the biggest keys for the Chiefs, who enter Super Bowl LVIII as a slight underdog.

“Every game, it all starts up front,” Henne said. “It’s gonna be a battle between our offensive line against their front five. They obviously have a good defensive front, so we’re obviously going to have to protect Patrick, but at the same time still establish the run game. For Patrick, (an effective running game) lets him know he doesn’t have to do it all himself.”

The Chiefs have an advantage at quarterback; everyone knows that. This will be Mahomes’ fourth Super Bowl. It’ll be the first for the 49ers’ Brock Purdy, a second-year pro.

“It’s going to be eye-opening (for him),” Henne said of the Super Bowl glare. “We’ll see how he handles it.”

Henne is confident Reid — who ranks No. 4 on the NFL’s all-time wins list — will handle it well. This will be his fifth Super Bowl as a head coach, including one with the Philadelphia Eagles. He was also an assistant coach with the Green Bay Packers when they won it in 1997. All of those Super Bowl week distractions will be limited.

“They have the plan down,” he said of Reid’s game-week and game-day routines. “Andy has it down to a science.”