It was a third-and-1 play for the Eagles, who at the time were coached by Reid. They lined up Brian Westbrook at fullback against the Raiders, for whom Pagano was the defensive backs coach. Westbrook ran a wheel route that caught Pagano and the Raiders off guard and went for 62 yards.
That was a random play in a 4-12 season for the Raiders, but it still stands out in Pagano's mind. He got lost in that thought at Halas Hall on Thursday afternoon, three days before Pagano and the Bears welcome the Reid-led Chiefs to Soldier Field for a primetime matchup.
"I've got a lot of scars," Pagano said.
The 61-year-old Reid is considered one of the NFL's greatest innovators, designing an offense in Kansas City around quarterback Patrick Mahomes that thrives with movement and deception. Reid puts the reigning MVP Mahomes in good positions to use his tremendous arm talent and recognition to make plays with a number of talented targets.
"It’s a shame we’ve got to play with 12 or 13," Pagano said. "We’re going to have to do it with 11. We’ll have our hands full."
The Chiefs rank fourth in the NFL in scoring offense (28.1 points per game) and fifth in total offense (384.4 yards). While Kansas City has had a production dip from 2018 -- in part because Mahomes missed two games with a dislocated kneecap -- it still has one of the most potent offenses in the league.
The Bears will counter with a defense that's allowing 18.1 points per game, which ranks third in the NFL. It will be a matchup of strength against strength. Few can understand what the Chiefs present better than Bears coach Matt Nagy, who came up working alongside Reid.
"I just have so much respect for him," Nagy said. "Not only just as a coach but as a person and what he's done in his life, the way he's gone about it. He's family to me."