https://www.arrowheadpride.com/2018/...y-observations
Patrick Mahomes
This definitely feels like Mahomes’ team. He’s playing with a lot of energy and he seems to be taking on a leadership role.
It’s clear that Mahomes has put in the time to fully grasp the offense. He is showing comfort with what he’s seeing and what he’s being asked to do. One of those signs is the work they were doing mixing up the cadence. He’s getting the unit in and out of the huddle efficiently, giving him time to play around with the snap count to help give him clues on what the defense is doing. They were also able to get the defense offside on a few occasions as a result of the mix in cadence.
Team blitz period was Mahomes’ most efficient period all day, which is a great sign. I don’t think he had an incompletion in the period. He was quick to process and was consistently finding solutions, even if they weren’t always a big play.
One of those instances was moving away from pressure when Kendall Fuller came on a corner blitz. Mahomes moved away from the blitz but threw off his back foot into the void where the blitz came from to Travis Kelce on an under route. The throw wasn’t accurate, but Kelce made a great adjustment. He knew he could get away with that throw based on the pressure and the void created.
Overall, Mahomes was doing a good job of taking what the defense gave him. He didn’t have to force the issue and took care of the football.
Mahomes corrected Sammy Watkins’ alignment before the snap and then delivered a great throw on time to Kelce in seven-on-seven.
My favorite play from Mahomes came in team period. He faced a blitz that forced him to throw hot (the protection rules can’t handle who blitzed, so he’s forced to get the ball out quick and most often forces a route adjustment by a specified receiver).
He had Kelce on a slant route, but he was late to turn his head. It didn’t matter, because Mahomes threw a ball with touch and anticipation. With less velocity, the ball arrived later on Kelce, allowing him time to make the catch. It was an impressive moment for a young quarterback.
It wasn’t all pretty Saturday though, as Mahomes forced a ball on a corner route to Watkins for an interception. David Amerson undercut the throw, but the ball would’ve been incomplete even if he wasn’t there. Not the best decision.