By Amy Tennery
GLENDALE, Ariz. (Reuters) – Experience trumped youth once again on Sunday as 64-year-old Andy Reid hoisted the Lombardi Trophy by guiding the Kansas City Chiefs to a 38-35 victory over his former team Philadelphia at Super Bowl 57.
Reid ended Kansas City’s half-century Super Bowl title drought three years ago and the Chiefs have not had to wait long for another one as he upstaged the Eagles’ 41-year-old Nick Sirianni by orchestrating a second-half comeback.
Reid had come up short in the Super Bowl bid with the Eagles in 2005 when poor clock management cost them the chance of a comeback against the New England Patriots.
On Sunday, however, his Chiefs burned the clock down to the final seconds before kicking a field goal and leaving the Eagles with little chance to fight back.
Reid now has the second-most playoff wins of any NFL coach with 22, behind the Patriots’ Bill Belichick (31).
Sirianni has only four postseason appearances as a coach.
Reid has said there is no blood with Philadelphia, who parted ways with him after the 2012 season, but tight end Travis Kelce said playing against the Eagles gave the Chiefs added motivation.
“For him going up against his old team, we wanted to get this so bad for him,” said Kelce, who had 81 receiving yards and a touchdown.
“Ever since he’s been here in Kansas City, I’ve seen it firsthand, he’s poured his heart, his mind and his soul into this organization and to this team and lead a group of men.”
Running back Isiah Pacheco, who got the Chiefs’ rally going when he snuck into the end zone in the third quarter, told reporters Reid kept the team on an even keel.
“He tells us to be ourselves. Don’t get too high, don’t get too low. You could see tonight we weren’t too high, we weren’t too low,” he said.
“We just stayed right within the pace and believed in one another and believed in the coaches’ scheme and followed the rules.”
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in Glendale, Arizona; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
