'He needs a defrost button!' Chiefs coach Andy Reid is mocked on social media for his fogged-over face shield as the Ravens' John Harbaugh opts out of wearing one after seeing it in action

Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid became a cautionary fashion tale during Thursday's NFL season opener as his protective face shield became fogged over, leaving the reigning Super Bowl champion struggling to see on the sidelines as he was ridiculed on social media for his awkward appearance.

'That was brutal,' Reid told reporters after the 34-20 win over the visiting Houston Texans. 'I didn't do very good with that thing. It will be better the next time. I appreciate you asking that, though. It was a bit of a mess, but we'll get it fixed.'

NFL coaches and staffers have been asked to wear facial coverings on the sidelines as the season gets underway amid the coronavirus pandemic. Reid's counterpart, Houston coach Bill O'Brien, went with a cloth mask, and appeared to be less distracted on what became a damp evening.

Andy Reid said it was 'brutal' to deal with a foggy face shield throughout Monday's opener

Much of the overall reaction on Twitter relied on memes, like this one of Kermit the Frog  

Reid, who wears glasses, thought he could avoid any fog issues with the protective face shield

That side-by-side comparison was enough for Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh, who had been considering a similar face shield, but scrapped the plans after seeing Reid.

'I dismissed that after last night,' Harbaugh told reporters Friday.

Harbaugh, who has been wearing handkerchiefs during practice, said his primary concern is being able to use his glasses to read playing cards during games.

And since glasses can fog over when used in conjunction with a traditional cloth mask, Harbaugh seriously considered using the face shield.

'I did look in the mirror, and I was like, "Eh, I don't think so,"' said Harbaugh, a longtime friend of Reid's.

After Thursday's game, Harbaugh's wife, Ingrid, joked that Reid's outfit will make a popular Halloween costume.

'She did mention to me, in the Kansas City area, there's going to be a lot of Halloween outfits with face shields and mustaches -- and foggy face shields,' Harbaugh said. 'So, wow, that's tough.'

And Ingrid Harbaugh was hardly the only person to poke fun at Reid on Thursday.

'Andy Reid forgot to hit the defrost button,' read a tweet from Stadium, a multi-platform sports network.

Most of the comments relied on memes, but several Twitter users complimented Reid for coaching his team to victory under such circumstances.

The Ringer's Rodger Sherman joked: 'Andy Reid showing off this year by outreaching the rest of the NFL without actually being able to see the field.'

'Can you imagine how good the Chiefs are gonna be this year once Andy Reid can finally see the field and read his playbook!' wrote another Twitter user. '34 points last night with 5% visibility is unbeilable.'