Where Do Chiefs’ Andy Reid, 49ers’ Kyle Shanahan Rank Among Top Coaches After a Week Off?

Everything about the Super Bowl is different, no matter how many Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers players and coaches insist they are treating it like just another game.

From the week of hoopla leading up to the game to halftime being nearly three times longer due to the obvious stakes, teams and players that have been there before tend to have an edge.

There’s another element to the game that is different, but not as drastic as the aforementioned elements. It’s something every team deals with at least once a season, and occasionally it’s as many as three times — a bye week.

Ranking the Best Coaches After a Bye Week

The week off, whether it be in the regular season or the playoffs, isn’t about extra practice time, as any work done during the downtime is usually a light walkthrough or two.

It’s more about the coaching staff using the extra time to dive deeper into the opponent to begin crafting the game plan.

Some coaches are just better at preparing and getting the players back up to speed and ready to play after the break.

One of the best ones will be on the sideline Sunday in Super Bowl LVIII.

Kansas City’s Andy Reid ranks third in post-bye winning percentage (minimum five games) and first in post-bye victories among all active head coaches since 2013, the year Reid joined the Chiefs.

Under Reid, Kansas City is 14-5 (.737) the week after a bye, whether it be in the regular season, early in the playoffs as a high seed, or in the Super Bowl.

The Chiefs are 11-2 in their most recent 13 post-bye games. One of the losses came this season in Week 11 in their Super Bowl LVII rematch against the Philadelphia Eagles, while the other was Super Bowl LV against Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The two active coaches with better winning percentages after a bye since 2013 are the Buffalo Bills’ Sean McDermott, who is a perfect 8-0, and the Baltimore Ravens’ John Harbaugh at 9-3 (.750).

But neither have been to a Super Bowl in that time.

Among all head coaches with at least five post-bye games since 2013, Reid ranks fifth. Frank Reich (5-1, .833) is second, and Mike Vrabel (6-2, .750) is tied with Harbaugh for third.

San Francisco’s Kyle Shanahan is farther down the list at 11th; Shanahan is 6-4 (.600). But he’s 4-1 since losing Super Bowl LIV to the Chiefs, including the 49ers’ 24-21 comeback win against the Green Bay Packers in the Divisional Round.

At the bottom of the list, there are five coaches with losing records after byes. Four of them are not currently employed. The exception is the Buccaneers’ Todd Bowles at 1-5 (.167).

Here is the full ranking of post-bye week records for those who have coached at least five games since 2013.

• Sean McDermott 8-0 (1.000)
• Frank Reich 5-1 (.833)
• John Harbaugh 9-3 (.750)
• Mike Vrabel 6-2 (.750)
• Andy Reid 14-5 (.737)
• Bill Belichick 15-6 (.714)
• Mike Tomlin 8-4 (.667)
• Jason Garrett 5-3 (.625)
• Pete Carroll 9-6 (.600)
• Sean McVay 6-4 (.600)
• Kyle Shanahan 6-4 (.600)
• Zac Taylor 5-3 (.571)
• Mike McCarthy 6-5 (.545)
• Matt LaFleur 4-4 (.500)
• Doug Pederson 4-5 (.444)
• Mike Zimmer 4-5 (.444)
• Ron Rivera 6-8 (.429)
• Jay Gruden 3-7 (.300)
• Todd Bowles 1-5 (.167)

KEEP READING: Andy Reid Non-Committal on Future

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