Who’s better – Andy Reid without Mahomes or Bill Belichick without Tom Brady? Stats end the discussion

Is Andy Reid a better coach than Bill Belichick?

NFL legendary head coaches Andy Reid and Bill Belichick.

NFL legendary head coaches Andy Reid and Bill Belichick.LAPRESSE

The success that Andy Reid has had as the head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs in recent years, where he has reached four Super Bowls and won three with star quarterback Patrick Mahomes, has captivated the sports world and the NFL. It has been seen how the work Reid has done, along with the Chiefs’ front office, has led to a new dynasty.

Reid’s success with the Chiefs has not only earned him a lucrative contract extension, but it has also led to comparisons with the most recent dynasty in the NFL: the New England Patriots.

Many fans and some media outlets have compared Reid’s success with Mahomes to that of Bill Belichick with the considered greatest of all time, Tom Brady.

But Belichick’s critics have pointed out, for years, that Belichick’s true success is owed to Brady, not the other way around. That is, it was thanks to Tom Brady’s talent that Belichick became the second-winningest head coach in history. And now it is argued that the same is happening with Reid and Patrick Mahomes.

The numbers tell a different story

To determine which coach is better between Reid and Belichick, it would be fair to look at their statistics in the years when they did NOT have Mahomes and Brady, respectively. Belichick, in all his years as head coach, did not have Brady as QB for 11 of them. His record is 81 games won to 98 lost, with two playoff games, zero conference championship games played, and 8 seasons with a record below .500.

Meanwhile, Reid has worked as head coach, without Mahomes, for 19 years. His record is 183-120-1, with 13 playoff games played, of which 5 were conference championship games, winning one and losing four. Of those 19 years, his teams finished below .500 only three times.

Judging solely by the numbers, it is clear that Andy Reid has been a coach who has had more success coaching quarterbacks other than Mahomes than Belichick with quarterbacks other than Tom Brady.

So, NFL fans ask the question: what if Reid had Tom Brady as his QB? We would probably be talking about the greatest HC of all time, but that will remain a mystery.