Chiefs' Reid urges Ford to 'move forward' after costly penalty vs. Patriots

Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Dee Ford is still coming to terms with his offside penalty that negated a game-sealing interception in his team's loss to the New England Patriots last week.

Ford says head coach Andy Reid has encouraged him to move past the mistake.

"He told me, 'Don't think about it. We've gotta move forward. We all could have been four inches better, ya know?'" Ford said Friday, according to ESPN's Jenna Laine. "That was big. That was a big quote to say. 'We all could have been four inches better.'"

With the Chiefs leading 28-24 and only 54 seconds remaining in the game, Ford was flagged for lining up past the line of scrimmage, bringing back an interception from teammate Charvarius Ward. If the interception had stood, Kansas City would have likely run out the clock and advanced to Super Bowl LIII.

Instead, Patriots running back Rex Burkhead was able to cap off the drive with a touchdown and followed it up with another end-zone run in overtime that gave New England the victory.

"That crushed my heart," Ford said. "But in order to persevere, you have to acknowledge it, take it on the chest, and work to move forward."

Ford had 55 combined tackles, 13 sacks, and seven forced fumbles in the 2018 regular season. He'll become a free agent in March but hinted that he expects to be returning to the AFC title game with the Chiefs next year.

"At the end of the day, I appreciate (Reid), and it's gonna be motivation for me, especially heading into next year," Ford said. "That's how I handle the situation - get better. We know what it tastes like to get there. We'll know what it takes heading into next year."

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