After the Kansas City Chiefs went 2-14 in the 2012 season, owner Clark Hunt laid out a specific set of criteria while searching for the team’s new head coach. Hunt wanted someone who had already established a successful football program, was an “effective communicator,” a “teacher,” and possessed a “high football IQ.” He wanted his next head coach to hold himself, as well as his players, accountable. However, while outlining his criteria, Hunt didn’t realize he was actually describing former Philadelphia Eagles head coach Andy Reid.

“What I didn’t know when I laid out those criteria last week was that I was effectively describing Andy Reid,” Hunt said back in 2013.

Immediately after taking over the role, Andy Reid changed the Chiefs’ trajectory. He guided the team to an 11-5 record and back to the playoffs in his first season. More than a decade later, Reid’s fingerprints are all over the most successful era the franchise has ever experienced. From Super Bowl triumphs to a nine-year stranglehold on the AFC West, the veteran coach has turned Kansas City into an annual contender.

And on Monday night, another chapter was quietly added to that extraordinary Chiefs tenure. And for that, Hunt made sure to celebrate the moment in the locker room. Following a 31-10 season-opening win over the Denver Broncos, Hunt entered the locker room carrying two game balls. One was for Reid, who had just picked up his 150th regular-season win with Kansas City. The other went to general manager Brett Veach for his 200th NFL win.

“There are a lot of guys in here who deserve a game ball today. But two very special people are celebrating milestones. Andy Reid, your 150th regular-season win with the Chiefs. And it’s Brett Veach’s 200th win in the NFL,” Hunt said.

Reid’s reaction suggested he wasn’t keeping track of the milestone himself. The veteran coach has never seemed interested in pausing to celebrate individual numbers, and his response after receiving the game ball was no different.

“I don’t look at it the other way,” Reid said about reaching the milestone. “I haven’t sat down and 150 – I didn’t even know we were at that number, but let’s get the next one. We’re on that.”

Reid arrived in Kansas City in 2013 after spending 14 seasons with the Eagles. Since then, he has helped turn the Chiefs into one of the NFL’s defining teams of the era.

His Kansas City tenure has included five Super Bowl appearances and three championships, along with seven consecutive AFC Championship Game appearances.

The 150th regular-season victory is different from the milestone Reid reached in 2013. He had already recorded 150 career wins by then, but this marks his 150th regular-season victory specifically as the Chiefs’ head coach. 

At the same time, the victory carries significant weight, considering the Chiefs didn’t have to look for a reminder of what went wrong last season. Standing across from them on opening night were the Broncos: the same team that finally ended Kansas City’s nine-year reign over the AFC West.

For Andy Reid and his team, the season opener was therefore about more than simply getting into the win column. Kansas City had a chance to reclaim some of the authority it had lost, and the Chiefs made the statement emphatically with a 31-0 win at Arrowhead.

But the win carried an even bigger significance for the man who has overseen Kansas City’s transformation for more than a decade. Reid is now the first head coach in Chiefs history to reach this milestone with the franchise, further cementing his place as the winningest coach in Kansas City history. 

And as Hunt handed him the game ball, Reid once again appeared more focused on what comes next than the number he had just reached.

Veach also had his own milestone to celebrate. As Hunt handed over his game ball, Reid couldn’t resist quoting the Chiefs’ general manager.

“Brett Veach said you guys are awesome, baby,” Reid blurted out.

But the biggest talking point from the win wasn’t only the milestones. The Chiefs also unveiled a play that had been sitting in Reid’s playbook for decades.

Patrick Mahomes explains the play that helped beat Broncos 

With Kansas City looking to extend its lead, running back Kenneth Walker finished a drive with a two-yard touchdown. The play itself, however, was anything but ordinary.

The Chiefs revived a play dating back to 1936, with Patrick Mahomes, Justin Fields and Travis Kelce lining up closely in the backfield in an unusual formation. The team had been working on it throughout training camp before finally unleashing it against Denver.

Mahomes called the play “Heisman” and admitted that the original footage was difficult to make out.

“It was called Heisman,” Mahomes said. “I can’t remember who exactly ran it because it was black and white. It was very scratchy when we were watching it.”

Mahomes also credited Andy Heck for bringing the play to the team and suggested Reid had a role in adapting it for their offense.

“I’m sure Coach Reid had his imprint on it as well, and we designed it, and I just knew it was going to score,” Mahomes added.

The play worked, and the Chiefs walked away with a 21-point victory. Reid, though, wasn’t taking all the credit.

According to the veteran coach, the idea came from an unexpected source.

“Chris Berman sent me that play, so that’s a 1936er right there,” Reid told reporters. “It was honestly, it was a great play, you know, they executed it well. We did it at training camp.”

Reid admitted the Chiefs had used the play before, but their execution against Denver was much cleaner.

The Chiefs now have their opening win, another milestone for their head coach and a few more tricks to keep opponents guessing. If Reid is willing to dig this far into the history books for one game, it is safe to say that Kansas City’s offense could have a few more surprises waiting in the weeks ahead.