by The Kansas City Chiefs have been the NFL’s most explosive offense with Eric Bieniemy as their offensive coordinator since 2018, leading the league in scoring and total offense. However, the latest report on his coaching future is not for a head coaching job, but rather the Washington Commanders offensive coaching position, a side move. Washington has asked to interview Bieniemy and has “strong interest” in him becoming the next offensive coordinator, according to the report NFL Media. Bieniemy is in the final year of his Kansas City contract.
Under Bieniemy (since 2018), the Chiefs lead the NFL or rank second in most of the crucial offensive categories.
Chiefs offense under OC Eric Bieniemy
|
PPG |
29.2 |
1 |
|
Total YPG |
413.6 |
1 |
|
Yards/Play |
6.4 |
1 |
|
3. down percent |
48.7% |
2 |
|
Red Zone TD Pct |
69.4% |
2 |
* Since 2018
During Bieniemy’s tenure as offensive coordinator, the Chiefs have 60 games of 25 or more points since 2018 — the most in the NFL — and no other team has 50 such games. Kansas City also has just six games with fewer than 20 points since 2018 — the fewest in the NFL — and all 31 other NFL teams have at least 19 or more such games during that span.
Not surprisingly, two of the Chiefs’ previous three offensive coordinators before Bieniemy were hired as head coaches: Doug Pederson and Matt Nagy. Pederson was hired as head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles in 2016 and went 42-37-1 in five seasons, winning Super Bowl LII over the New England Patriots for the franchise’s only Super Bowl victory. He has also received a second head coaching gig since then, going 9-8 with the Jacksonville Jaguars this season while leading them to their first playoff win since the 2017 season. His first season with the Jaguars ended with a divisional-round playoff loss to the Chiefs and Bienemy.
Nagy was hired as the head coach of the Chicago Bears in 2018 and went 34-31 in four seasons with the team, and he won the 2018 NFL Coach of the Year award while leading them to an NFC North title. Nagy has since returned to the Chiefs’ coaching staff as a senior assistant and quarterbacks coach.
Prior to Kansas City’s Super Bowl LIV win against the San Francisco 49ers that ended the 2019 NFL season, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid expressed confusion as to why his current offensive coordinator has not been given the same head coaching opportunity that both Pederson and Nagy have received.
“His role is the same as Doug’s and Matt’s were,” Reid said in January 2020, via Sports Illustrated. “He is the coordinator, he manages the meetings.”
That quote goes in the face of the perceived weakness that Bieniemy isn’t the full-time offensive play caller, sometimes sharing those duties with Reid. However, Reid has made it a point to have Bieniemy call the Chiefs offense for longer stretches, as evidenced in the video below.
Bieniemy has actually had a more productive offense with the Chiefs than Pederson or Nagy did during their previous stints as the team’s offensive coordinator.
Bieniemy, Nagy and Pederson as Chiefs offensive coordinator
|
PPG |
29.2 |
25.9 |
24.8 |
|
Total YPG |
413.6 |
375.4 |
329.1 |
|
TD/Game |
3.6 |
2.6 |
2.9 |
Patrick Mahomes leads the NFL with 192 passing yards under Bieniemy since 2018, when the latter became offensive coordinator and the former became the team’s starting quarterback. Mahomes won the NFL MVP in 2018, and will likely win the 2022 NFL MVP given that he is a 2022 First-Team All-Pro quarterback.
Mahomes since 2018
|
WL |
63-16 |
1 |
|
Pass YPG |
303.3 |
1 |
|
Passed TD |
192 |
1 |
|
Passer assessment |
106.0 |
2 |
* Among 60 QBs with 10+ starts over span
Bieniemy has 15 seasons of NFL coaching experience including as Minnesota Vikings running backs coach (2006-2010), Chiefs running backs coach (2013-2017) and currently as Chiefs offensive coordinator (2018-2022).
