Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs staying busy, adding ‘wrinkles’ during bye week

[BigRedChief]

By Nate Taylor Jan 5, 2021

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Patrick Mahomes’ third trip to the postseason as a starter is already different from his previous two.

Mahomes, the Chiefs’ superstar quarterback, acknowledged Monday that the newest experience in his four-year career will be having at least a 20-day break before commanding the Chiefs’ potent offense during the team’s divisional playoff game at Arrowhead Stadium. Sure, it’s true that Mahomes has never had to play in the NFL’s wild-card playoff round. But with the added rest this season, he believes his body will be in peak condition when the Chiefs begin their much-anticipated playoff run, the next step in their “Run It Back” campaign to repeat as Super Bowl champions. Such was not the case in 2018, when he noticed the cumulative impact of being a first-time starter. Last season, Mahomes was more prepared for the demands of playing in the intense-filled postseason, but he was still aware that he returned from a dislocated right kneecap just a few months earlier.

This time, Mahomes expects the physical and mental break from the bye week to rejuvenate him and his teammates to perform their best and advance to their third consecutive AFC Championship Game.

“We had some battles there at the end of the (regular) season,” Mahomes said Monday. “Games like the Saints, the Bucs — and even the Falcons — were physical games. For us to be able to get back healthy, get everybody back to 100 percent, I think we’ll be able to utilize our speed and our power and really have the best Kansas City Chiefs team that you’ve seen since kind of the beginning of the year.”
Coach Andy Reid was able to successfully rest 20 of the Chiefs’ most prominent players Sunday in the regular season finale against the Los Angeles Chargers, who beat Kansas City, 38-21. The team’s practices last week allowed Mahomes to tinker and experiment — which he did during training camp and during his rookie season as the backup — while 13-year veteran Chad Henne took most of the repetitions. Mahomes put most of his ideas on the whiteboards inside the training facility, which surprised Reid and the assistant coaches.

“I drew up, like, 25 plays,” Mahomes said, smiling. “I was just sitting there, drawing up plays forever. Hopefully I can get a few of them in and we can have a few touchdowns in the postseason.”

The Chiefs’ offense, of course, is known for its innovative creativity. Reid often develops a few misdirection plays during the regular season that are not revealed until a critical moment in the postseason, the most notable being the “Shift to Rose Bowl Right Parade” play in the Chiefs’ victory over the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl. An educated observer could say that a few of the plays that Mahomes designed since his last game, a win over the Falcons on Dec. 27, are likely to be featured in the red zone.
In the victory over the Panthers, Mahomes executed one of his designed misdirection plays — “Ferrari Right,” a nod to his nickname from ESPN color analyst Louis Riddick — to perfection. Mahomes started the play by motioning to the right before running to the left and catching the snap from center Austin Reiter on what appeared to be a rollout to the left of the formation. But Mahomes spun back to the right and threw a quick 1-yard touchdown pass to receiver Demarcus Robinson in the back of the end zone.

Another play from Mahomes’ mind was supposed to lead him catching a 1-yard touchdown pass from star tight end Travis Kelce. Once again, Mahomes did his pre-snap motion before receiving the ball from Reiter. Mahomes then gave the ball to star receiver Tyreek Hill to give the Bucs the impression the Chiefs were running a traditional reverse play. But Hill gave the ball to Kelce on a double-reverse, who was to execute the short pass to Mahomes. Kelce, though, hesitated to throw the ball to an open Mahomes, which led to the pass being deflected by cornerback Carlton Davis.

Mahomes didn’t reveal any specifics of his newest plays, but Reid acknowledged that the Chiefs’ offense is expected to run the most advanced concepts within the immense playbook.
“Your base set of plays are relatively the same, but you always have a few little extra wrinkles in there,” Reid said. “You take the base fundamentals of the offense and then you work around that. You can work in some things that maybe you worked on in camp that you’ve just kind of put aside.”

The Chiefs will return to their facility Thursday, when players will focus on maintaining their conditioning prior to practicing their game plan next week for their upcoming opponent. Reid said Sunday that Joe Bleymaier, the team’s pass game analyst, is building advanced scouting reports on each team’s defense before this weekend’s games. Terry Bradden and Alex Whittingham, the team’s defensive quality control assistants, are tasked with the scouting reports on each team’s offense.

Tyrann Mathieu, the star strong safety, plans to watch all three AFC playoff games to help prepare himself for the challenges the Chiefs’ defense will encounter. Throughout the past week, Mathieu has been scouting himself and the rest of the unit, watching film of their play this season in an effort to improve techniques and pre-snap communication. Following Sunday’s game, Mathieu sent text messages to his defensive teammates. As one of the Chiefs’ leaders, Mathieu wanted to motivate his fellow players, suggesting that every practice repetition next week will have great value.
“Trying to find ways that I can get better and create an impact in a game, giving those guys nuggets,” Mathieu said. “That’s really what I’ve been doing that’s extra, trying to find any way that we can get better and really create some momentum going into the postseason.”

Similar to Mathieu, Mahomes has thought about the entire offense and how that unit can exceed expectations in the divisional round game, especially after the Chiefs’ starters scored a season-low 17 points against the Falcons. Mahomes has done more workout sessions the past few days than he would during the week leading up to a game. Kelce and Hill ran routes and caught passes from Mahomes on Sunday during the Chiefs’ pregame drills. And Mahomes has thought about the Chiefs’ offensive line.
In front of Mahomes this season, during his 15 starts, were six different offensive line combinations. Injuries, of course, have played a major role. Right tackle Mitchell Schwartz hasn’t played since the middle of October because of a back injury. Left Tackle Eric Fisher and backup right tackle Mike Remmers have played through their own back injuries, while Reiter has been bothered by a sore knee. Mahomes has faith his linemen will play better after their rest to execute their challenging duties, such as the tackles often being in one-on-one matchups against edge pass rushers and the entire group pass protecting longer than the usual for the Chiefs to complete deep passes. Proper discipline with dropbacks and correct protection calls against the blitz, Mahomes said, should lead to him facing less pressure. In his previous three starts, Mahomes was hit a combined 16 times, the most in a three-game stretch this season.

“We ask them to do a lot of different things that not a lot of teams do,” Mahomes said of his linemen. “It usually helps us out a ton. Having a game like the Falcons game, it teaches us that we need to make sure that we’re clear and definitive with what we’re calling and what we’re trying to ask them to do to put them in position to succeed.”

The idea the rested Chiefs could start their divisional round game rusty is a concern, but just a small one for Reid, who expressed trust in his veterans. Last season, the Chiefs became the first champion to rally to win each postseason game after trailing by 10 or more points. Their greatest feat was responding from a 24-0 deficit against the Texans — in the divisional round — by scoring a touchdown on seven consecutive drives.

Reid thinks the Chiefs’ path toward another championship will be harder than it was a year ago. He urged his players Monday to utilize their bye week to aid in elevating their performance. But he reminded the Chiefs they can’t become too emotional.
“You have to be able to take it up another notch without getting so tied into that that you can’t completely function,” Reid said. “Sometimes you can try so hard that everything goes the opposite way.”

Mahomes’ response to Reid’s words was to reference the Chiefs’ positive results this season against playoff teams. The Chiefs won all four games and were victorious by an average margin of 7.2 points. Improved health from rest, new offensive plays to unleash and studious defense has Mahomes confident the Chiefs can have their best performance of the season next weekend.

“If you watched us throughout the season, it feels like we always raised up and played better in the big games,” Mahomes said. “Knowing that the next (potential) three are going to be big games, I know I’m going to get the best effort out of every single guy on this team and we’re going to raise our game to be even better. I’m excited for it because I know what this team can do. It can be a special run.”

The rest of the article, with the vids on the Athletic here:
https://theathletic.com/2304679/2021...rce=dailyemail

[JakeF]

Originally Posted by Chris Meck

We've beaten them three times in a row, and the last two times it wasn't particularly close.

What planet do you live on man?

He is listening to the media.

[diqlix]

Originally Posted by KCChiefsFan88

When your franchise's second all time leading rusher is this guy, you are in no position to be lecturing other teams' fanbases about morality...

We do not like or defend OJ.

[R Clark]

Perhaps but your stuck with him also just like him you suck and your feet stink and you don’t love Jesus. And your QB can’t throw no look passes , only one QB that great and he lives in KC

[BigRedChief]

Originally Posted by daquix

We do not like or defend OJ.

You certainly did like him until he murdered two people.

[FloridaMan88]

Originally Posted by daquix

We do not like or defend OJ.

As evidenced by the fact he is still in the Bills HOF, correct?

First player inducted into the Bills HOF and still a member.

[BigRedChief]

Originally Posted by KCChiefsFan88

As evidenced by the fact he is still in the Bills HOF, correct?

First player inducted into the Bills HOF and still a member.

Wow, he’s still in there? That true?

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

Wow, he’s still in there? That true?

https://www.buffalobills.com/team/al...l-hall-of-fame

Scroll down to the very bottom. Very first inductee.

[InChiefsHeaven]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

You certainly did like him until he murdered two people.

But he was great in The Naked Gun...

[el borracho]

Originally Posted by InChiefsHeaven

But he was great in The Naked Gun...

Oh, yeah.... he killed it in The Naked Gun!

[BigRedChief]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

https://www.buffalobills.com/team/al...l-hall-of-fame

Scroll down to the very bottom. Very first inductee.

Originally Posted by InChiefsHeaven

But he was great in The Naked Gun...

Originally Posted by el borracho

Oh, yeah.... he killed it in The Naked Gun!

Yeah, he was perceived as a cool dude. Had the football chops. Made good commercials(for the era) and was funny as hell in the Naked Gun. Living large until he MURDERED his ex-wife and boyfriend. He deserves pariah status in society. And most definitely doesn’t deserve to be in any Hall of Fame.

[KChiefs1]

https://theathletic.com/2297514/2021...ense-rankings/

Ranking NFL playoff offenses from 1-14: Which team should you trust the most?
by
Sheil Kapadia

To preview the 2021 NFL playoffs, today we rank all 14 offenses based on trustworthiness. In the next installment, we’ll do the defenses.



1. Kansas City Chiefs

It’s no secret why the Chiefs get the top spot here. They have the league’s best quarterback/play-caller combination. Kansas City was 14-1 with Patrick Mahomes as the starter, and the Chiefs’ overall offensive performance was nearly identical to 2019. Their offensive DVOA was 23.9 percent (second league-wide), compared to 23.5 percent (third) last season. And here are Mahomes’ numbers this season compared to last year.

Travis Kelce set the record for receiving yards (1,416) by a tight end. Tyreek Hill had 17 touchdowns from scrimmage and is a threat to score any time he touches the ball. The offensive line finished sixth in ESPN’s pass block win rate, despite playing without starting right tackle Mitchell Schwartz since Week 6. The scariest part about the Chiefs, as we saw during last year’s playoff run, is that they are nearly impossible to kill. There’s no one on this list you would rather have with the ball when the game’s on the line than Mahomes. He had the highest Expected Points Added (EPA) among playoff quarterbacks when tied or trailing during the regular season.


2. Green Bay Packers

As part of this exercise, I looked up the 100 best single-game offensive performances during the regular season (based on EPA) to see how many each playoff team produced. The Packers had 11! No other team had more than seven. Green Bay finished first in offensive DVOA, and at the age of 37, Aaron Rodgers delivered perhaps the best season of his career. Davante Adams was un-guardable, and Aaron Jones piled up 1,459 yards from scrimmage. The Packers finished first in pass block win rate. Their offensive line is still strong, but they’ll head to the postseason without Pro Bowl left tackle David Bakhtiari. Two things stand out with the Packers. One, they were the league’s best play-action team (EPA per snap) during the regular season. And two, Matt LaFleur was the league’s best game scripter. Green Bay averaged a league-best 4.56 points on its opening possessions.


3. Buffalo Bills

They have looked flat-out unstoppable, averaging a league-best 34.5 points per game in the second half of the season. Josh Allen and the Bills can win in so many ways. Stefon Diggs, John Brown and Cole Beasley consistently win their one-on-one matchups. Offensive coordinator Brian Daboll schemes up explosive plays. And when things break down, Allen can make defenses feel helpless by creating plays outside of structure. Buffalo’s offensive line is underrated and ranked fourth in pass block win rate. One area that has set the Bills apart: their ability to decimate man coverage. According to Sports Info Solutions, no quarterback performed better against man than Allen during the regular season.


4. Tennessee Titans

There’s a reason why offensive coordinator Arthur Smith is getting looks as a head coach. The Titans have used a throwback formula to produce one of the league’s top offenses. They were the most run-heavy team during the regular season, and no quarterback used play-action more (32.3 percent) than Ryan Tannehill.

The Titans’ path to success is not complicated: let Tannehill take shots on play-action, position A.J. Brown for yards after the catch, and count on Derrick Henry to steal opponents’ souls in the fourth quarter. Tennessee ranked second in EPA per play in the regular season. Despite the emphasis on the run game, the Titans can play from behind. They showed often this year that they can score in a hurry and are a resilient group.


5. Seattle Seahawks

It feels like a tale of two seasons for their offense. The Seahawks ranked fourth in EPA per snap from Weeks 1 to 9, but they were 16th from Weeks 10 to 17. One issue: Seattle’s downfield passing game has disappeared. In Weeks 1 to 9, Wilson had 15 deep (defined as 20 yards or more from the line of scrimmage) completions. He ranked ninth in EPA on deep passing attempts. From Weeks 10 to 17, he had just seven such completions and ranked 29th in EPA on deep passing attempts. Defenses forced the Seahawks to be more methodical and employed strategies to slow down DK Metcalf. That led to Seattle averaging just 22.6 points per game in the second half of the season, compared to 34 points per game in the first half. It’d be no surprise to see Wilson, Metcalf and Tyler Lockett catch fire and make a run in the NFC. But this group has questions going into the postseason.


6. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

They are a high-variance offense. When it looks good, Tampa seems unstoppable. When it looks bad, it seems like a ticking time bomb. But the truth is the Buccaneers had many more good stretches than bad stretches. Tom Brady ranked 10th in QBR during the regular season, and the Buccaneers ranked third in offensive DVOA. The numbers suggest that Brady could benefit from more play-action. He ranked just 26th in play-action frequency (17.9 percent), but only Rodgers was better (EPA per play) on play-action throws. As of this writing, it’s unclear whether Mike Evans will be healthy enough to play in the wild-card round.


7. New Orleans Saints

If we isolate just the 11 games that Drew Brees started and finished, the Saints had the league’s fifth-best offense (EPA per play). Despite not having Michael Thomas for nine games and not having Brees for four-plus games, Sean Payton somehow schemed up an offense that finished seventh in DVOA. As of this writing, it’s unclear whether Thomas and Alvin Kamara will be on the field for this game, although signs points to them returning. We know how the Saints want to play. Their offensive success relies on Brees’ mastery of the scheme and a methodical approach. Brees’ average pass traveled just 6.3 yards downfield, the third-lowest of any starter. The Saints’ run game was the most efficient in the league. Brees finished the year with just eight completions on passes that traveled 20 yards or more downfield; that ranked 34th. The Saints have a very specific way they have to play, and they’re very good at it. But given the lack of a downfield attack, their margin for error is low, and that could present challenges against certain opponents.


8. Baltimore Ravens

Overall, the Ravens’ offense did not perform as well as it did last season. But there was one area where they actually became more efficient: the run game. The counting totals weren’t as gaudy, but the Ravens’ performance (EPA per snap) when running the ball was not only the best of any team this year, but the best of any team over the last five years. In the second half of the season, Baltimore ranked fourth in overall efficiency. Their diverse and explosive run game will give the Ravens a chance. But they still need to prove they can consistently move the ball through the air. Baltimore is playing with a completely reshuffled offensive line, and while pass protection has held up well so far, it could become an issue if they’re playing from behind. Overall though, this group has a high ceiling and could get hot.


9. Indianapolis Colts

This is a group that took time to find an identity. Early on, it seemed like Frank Reich was willing to let Philip Rivers cook. Then he realized that the Colts’ best chance of winning might be a more conservative approach that leaned on their defense and the run game. In Weeks 1 to 9, the Colts ranked 31st in rushing efficiency. In Weeks 10 to 17, with Jonathan Taylor coming on strong, they ranked fifth. Two areas where Reich really gave the Colts an edge: opening game scripts and the screen game. The Colts averaged 4.13 points on their opening possessions, which ranked second. And 335 of Rivers’ passing yards came on screens to running backs and tight ends — the most of any quarterback. T.Y. Hilton played well down the stretch, but this group will rely more on efficiency than explosiveness. And the Colts will be playing without starting left tackle Anthony Castonzo.


10. Pittsburgh Steelers

They may have the hardest offense to peg. On one hand, they ranked 22nd in offensive DVOA and 28th in pass block win rate. For the most part, the Steelers relied on a quick-hitting passing game, and the run game was one of the league’s worst (30th in efficiency). On the other hand, it’s not like the Steelers are devoid of talent. JuJu Smith-Schuster, Chase Claypool and Diontae Johnson will present tough matchups to most opponents. And the Steelers made some plays downfield in their comeback win over the Colts in Week 16. They don’t need to light the league on fire. They just need Ben Roethlisberger to get hot for four games. Is that possible? Maybe. Pittsburgh produced just one top-100 offensive performance in the regular season — tied for fewest among all playoff teams.


11. Cleveland Browns

Their preparation has been upended with head coach and play-caller Kevin Stefanski having to miss this game (unless it gets rescheduled). If it were business as usual, I would have had Cleveland ninth on this list. The key to the Browns’ success has been an offensive line that ranked second in pass block win rate. The Browns’ pass protection, along with Stefanski’s scheme and play-calling, have helped set Baker Mayfield up for success. Cleveland’s offense has the highest variance of any in the playoffs, according to Football Outsiders. The Browns produced five top-100 offensive performances this season, which was more than the Seahawks or Buccaneers. Cleveland’s offense relies on a heavy dose of Nick Chubb, play-action passing and one of the league’s best screen games. No quarterback had a higher EPA on screens to running backs and tight ends this season than Mayfield. And he ranked fourth in efficiency on play-action passes.


12. Chicago Bears

What to make of the way the Bears finished the season with Mitchell Trubisky? Let’s start with the good news. Their performance in the final six games, extended over the course of an entire season, would translate to the league’s sixth-best offense. Pretty good! Now the bad news. All six defenses they faced during that stretch ranked in the bottom half of the league. That includes the league’s three worst defenses — Houston, Jacksonville and Detroit. So yes, a grain of salt is necessary. The biggest difference with the Bears was in the run game. Their rushing performance in the last six games would have translated to second-best league-wide if extended over the entire season. And Trubisky had success with play-action, ranking fifth in efficiency. This doesn’t have to be that hard. The Bears need to lean on play-action, run the ball, feed Allen Robinson and have Trubisky use his legs. This group doesn’t have a high ceiling, but that formula will offer their best chance of success.


13. Los Angeles Rams

As of this writing, we don’t know who the Rams’ starting quarterback will be in the playoffs. John Wolford started in Week 17. We know he can use his legs, and we know he’s not playing scared. Wolford threw aggressively — both downfield and into tight windows. But overall, that was the Rams’ fourth-worst offensive performance of the season. Jared Goff did not play well this season, ranking 23rd in QBR. Expecting him to return from a thumb injury and save the day would be a stretch. This is a completely different team than the one that went to the Super Bowl a couple years ago. The Rams’ offensive approach will be conservative, with an emphasis on running the ball and setting up easy completions — that’s regardless of who is playing quarterback.


14. Washington Football Team

Under normal circumstances, producing the 32nd-ranked offense would mean no chance at a playoff berth. But in 2020, it got the Washington Football Team a division title and a home playoff game. Alex Smith has been a great story, but in terms of actual performance, he ranked 33rd out of 35 quarterbacks in EPA per play, just one spot ahead of Dwayne Haskins. Smith is playing with a calf injury and did not move well in Washington’s Week 17 win over the Eagles. To make matters worse, Terry McLaurin will be playing at significantly less than 100 percent because of a high-ankle sprain. It’s tough to expect much from this group. The goal, for the most part, will be to just not lose the game.

* Data used from Sportradar, TruMedia and Sports Info Solutions.