Andy Reid has publicly supported Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith on numerous occasions, but the coach may have no choice but to make a change at quarterback if Smith struggles again in Week 13.
ESPN’s Chris Mortensen is reporting that Smith’s performance against the New York Jets on Sunday will determine how close he is to losing his job to rookie first-round pick Patrick Mahomes.
Alex Smith has had Reid's support all week but his performance against the Jets also will determine how short his leash gets with rookie Patrick Mahomes in waiting, the sources also say.
— Chris Mortensen (@mortreport) December 3, 2017
Reid has said in recent weeks that Smith is not the problem in Kansas City, and he is taking responsibility for the team’s lack of offensive production by giving up his play-calling duties for Week 13. However, there’s no ignoring that Smith has done a poor job of protecting the ball in recent weeks after he looked like an MVP candidate through the first half of the season.
The Chiefs have lost five of their last six games, and there have been some indications that Smith’s teammates are giving up on him. If Smith continues his stretch of bad play and the Chiefs lose another game, his job may not be safe for long.
