Chiefs Poised Mahomes and a Suddenly Super Defense Make Chiefs the Team to Beat - Page 2

**Donger** · 01-13-2019, 11:01 AM

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/...aign=editorial

We are used to Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes doing the impossible. We see the no-look passes. The sidearm throws. The deep bombs. The dazzling runs. All of the things that make us bulge our eyes and spit out our drinks.

Yet what we saw Mahomes do against the Indianapolis Colts in the divisional round Saturday was something more spectacular, and something that will make him even scarier: He played like a seasoned, composed playoff veteran.

On top of that, we saw a Kansas City defense—the unit that was supposed to keep the Chiefs out of the Super Bowl—transform into a monster that stuffed the Colts, holding them to 126 total yards through three quarters and zero first downs until late in the first half.

Kansas City played a total game against Indianapolis, winning totally at Arrowhead Stadium 31-13. If you didn't believe in the Chiefs before or thought the defense was too soft or maybe the 23-year-old Mahomes was too young, it's time to change your mind.

The Chiefs were magical, and for the first time all year, it wasn't just Mahomes who waved the wand. There's a reason the Chiefs won their first home playoff game since 1993, ending a string of six postseason losses in Kansas City: This looked like the most well-rounded squad in franchise history. Previous Kansas City playoff teams had great offenses or great defenses but rarely both.

"They outplayed us; they outcoached us," said Colts coach Frank Reich at his postgame press conference. He noted it was the rare outing where his team couldn't get its offense going: "It's beyond me how we've been so good early in the game, generally the whole year. I just credit their defense."

The Texas Tech product went 27-of-41 for 278 yards with one rushing score, and this was the perfect pocket-passing Mahomes. This was the precise Mahomes. The patient Mahomes. The Mahomes with the timing of Tom Brady and awareness of Russell Wilson.

Oh, there were a few plays that featured highlight-reel Mahomes. He threw one third-quarter pass sidearm for a 15-yard gain to Travis Kelce. It was the kind of sick throw that Mahomes has come to make appear almost routine.

But mostly, Mahomes looked like he's played in 20 playoff games—calm, solid and making it seem easy but in a different way.

You know what this means, don't you?

If Mahomes keeps playing with this kind of poise, he will be even more dangerous, and the Chiefs will be almost impossible to beat.

It's not that Mahomes hasn't been good from the pocket this season. Of course he has. It's different, however, doing it while the pressure of the playoffs weighs on you like extra gravity and Andrew Luck stands on the other sideline.

Mahomes' assured play seemed to set the table for the rest of the Chiefs' day. That defense, normally as solid as low-sodium chicken broth, stymied the Colts. With Mahomes leading a steady, pulsating offense, the defense could just tee off on Luck.

If you want to understand why coach Andy Reid sent Alex Smith packing in favor of Mahomes, it was for Saturday and beyond. Mahomes isn't just an explosive device. He's a multifaceted force who can beat you any number of ways. But mostly, the way he beat the Colts featured the best Mahomes.

On one play—a screen pass to Kelce in the second quarter—Mahomes used his eyes to fool the entire secondary. He looked right, drawing the safety, and then threw back to Kelce. It was Aaron Rodgers-like.

The Colts defense also looked somewhat shocked. It's almost as if teams spend so much time preparing for the frenetic Mahomes, they seem almost stunned to see him do a Dan Marino impression.

Though watching a pocket-savvy Mahomes was fascinating, so was seeing that Kansas City defense. Indianapolis, one of the best third-down conversion teams in the league, was 0-of-9 in this game.

Indianapolis didn't score its first offensive touchdown until there was 5:31 left in the contest.

The Chiefs defense held the Colts to fewer than 100 yards rushing and limited star receiver T.Y. Hilton to four catches (one for that score). The Chiefs pressured Luck all game and essentially took him out of the contest early.

Could that once-notoriously bad defense re-emerge in the AFC title game? It's possible, but it seems like the Chiefs have fixed a season-long problem.

We need to make this point crystal clear: If Mahomes keeps playing like this, and that defense plays like that, no one will beat this team.

Not Reid's historically bad clock management.

Not Brady. Not Philip Rivers.

Not the Cowboys. Not the Rams. Not the '85 Bears.

No team. If they stay this well-rounded—if that defense has truly transformed—they are unbeatable.

Now, the Chiefs are Mahomes and a defense.

It's Superman and the Hulk joining forces.

Watch out.

**Donger** · 01-13-2019, 12:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RINGLEADER

Great read. Thanks for posting Donger!

I serve The Chiefsplanet.

Prison Bitch · 01-13-2019, 12:33 PM

Good thread dong

CupidStunt · 01-13-2019, 07:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hammock Parties

We just had our first 06 Colts moment.

A seemingly fatally flawed team just turned it's flaw into a strength on the biggest stage.

Do it twice more and we are SB Champs.

**** this is awesome.

This is precisely the comparison that keeps coming to my mind. That Colts team was 12-4. Their QB led the league in passing TDs. They had a historically bad rushing defense, so much so that a lot of people picked against them all playoffs long, starting with the game vs our shitty team where people thought Larry Johnson would run wild. They held him to 32 yards on 13 carries, complete domination. And they were -6.5-point favorites despite being a popular pick to lose.

They're not mirror images -- Colts had to play on the road twice, and were underdogs in both of those games -- but hopefully our story ends the same way.

ROYC75 · 01-13-2019, 07:31 PM

So now we are the Hot, Sexy, Fashion Model every guy has dreamed about?

I guess that's OK, they are all bitches and that's just how the Colts and now the Patriots view us.

ChiefRocka · 01-13-2019, 07:31 PM

Also special teams not playing like rat turds

ChiefRocka · 01-13-2019, 07:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Prison Bitch

Good thread dong

Good dong thread

**BigRedChief** · 01-15-2019, 11:46 AM

Surprise, you quit putting some of the best pass rushers in the league in coverage 20 yards down the field, good things happen. I know shocker, right? Letting your best pass rushers get after the QB? Novel idea.

Scorpion05 · 01-15-2019, 01:06 PM

If Mahomes develops his pure QB skills..reading defenses, remaining poised, dissecting teams with precision..he will go down as the greatest QB ever. His talent is already arguably the best I've ever seen. But part of what makes Brady great is beyond talent. If Mahomes gets to that level with the mental aspect of the game, good lord

01-13-2019, 11:01 AM
Donger "Think BOOM!" Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: 33.675° N 106.475° W Casino cash: $10239900 VARSITY	Poised Mahomes and a Suddenly Super Defense Make Chiefs the Team to Beat https://bleacherreport.com/articles/...aign=editorial We are used to Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes doing the impossible. We see the no-look passes. The sidearm throws. The deep bombs. The dazzling runs. All of the things that make us bulge our eyes and spit out our drinks. Yet what we saw Mahomes do against the Indianapolis Colts in the divisional round Saturday was something more spectacular, and something that will make him even scarier: He played like a seasoned, composed playoff veteran. On top of that, we saw a Kansas City defense—the unit that was supposed to keep the Chiefs out of the Super Bowl—transform into a monster that stuffed the Colts, holding them to 126 total yards through three quarters and zero first downs until late in the first half. Kansas City played a total game against Indianapolis, winning totally at Arrowhead Stadium 31-13. If you didn't believe in the Chiefs before or thought the defense was too soft or maybe the 23-year-old Mahomes was too young, it's time to change your mind. The Chiefs were magical, and for the first time all year, it wasn't just Mahomes who waved the wand. There's a reason the Chiefs won their first home playoff game since 1993, ending a string of six postseason losses in Kansas City: This looked like the most well-rounded squad in franchise history. Previous Kansas City playoff teams had great offenses or great defenses but rarely both. "They outplayed us; they outcoached us," said Colts coach Frank Reich at his postgame press conference. He noted it was the rare outing where his team couldn't get its offense going: "It's beyond me how we've been so good early in the game, generally the whole year. I just credit their defense." The Texas Tech product went 27-of-41 for 278 yards with one rushing score, and this was the perfect pocket-passing Mahomes. This was the precise Mahomes. The patient Mahomes. The Mahomes with the timing of Tom Brady and awareness of Russell Wilson. Oh, there were a few plays that featured highlight-reel Mahomes. He threw one third-quarter pass sidearm for a 15-yard gain to Travis Kelce. It was the kind of sick throw that Mahomes has come to make appear almost routine. But mostly, Mahomes looked like he's played in 20 playoff games—calm, solid and making it seem easy but in a different way. You know what this means, don't you? If Mahomes keeps playing with this kind of poise, he will be even more dangerous, and the Chiefs will be almost impossible to beat. It's not that Mahomes hasn't been good from the pocket this season. Of course he has. It's different, however, doing it while the pressure of the playoffs weighs on you like extra gravity and Andrew Luck stands on the other sideline. Mahomes' assured play seemed to set the table for the rest of the Chiefs' day. That defense, normally as solid as low-sodium chicken broth, stymied the Colts. With Mahomes leading a steady, pulsating offense, the defense could just tee off on Luck. If you want to understand why coach Andy Reid sent Alex Smith packing in favor of Mahomes, it was for Saturday and beyond. Mahomes isn't just an explosive device. He's a multifaceted force who can beat you any number of ways. But mostly, the way he beat the Colts featured the best Mahomes. On one play—a screen pass to Kelce in the second quarter—Mahomes used his eyes to fool the entire secondary. He looked right, drawing the safety, and then threw back to Kelce. It was Aaron Rodgers-like. The Colts defense also looked somewhat shocked. It's almost as if teams spend so much time preparing for the frenetic Mahomes, they seem almost stunned to see him do a Dan Marino impression. Though watching a pocket-savvy Mahomes was fascinating, so was seeing that Kansas City defense. Indianapolis, one of the best third-down conversion teams in the league, was 0-of-9 in this game. Indianapolis didn't score its first offensive touchdown until there was 5:31 left in the contest. The Chiefs defense held the Colts to fewer than 100 yards rushing and limited star receiver T.Y. Hilton to four catches (one for that score). The Chiefs pressured Luck all game and essentially took him out of the contest early. Could that once-notoriously bad defense re-emerge in the AFC title game? It's possible, but it seems like the Chiefs have fixed a season-long problem. We need to make this point crystal clear: If Mahomes keeps playing like this, and that defense plays like that, no one will beat this team. Not Reid's historically bad clock management. Not Brady. Not Philip Rivers. Not the Cowboys. Not the Rams. Not the '85 Bears. No team. If they stay this well-rounded—if that defense has truly transformed—they are unbeatable. Now, the Chiefs are Mahomes and a defense. It's Superman and the Hulk joining forces. Watch out.
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01-13-2019, 12:33 PM	#17
Prison Bitch Rabbi Goldmann Join Date: Nov 2012 Casino cash: $5450159	Good thread dong
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01-13-2019, 07:31 PM	#19
ROYC75 Time For Your Wake Up Call !!! Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Barn Yard Casino cash: $5579400	So now we are the Hot, Sexy, Fashion Model every guy has dreamed about? I guess that's OK, they are all bitches and that's just how the Colts and now the Patriots view us. __________________ Our society is run by insane people for insane objectives. I think we're being run by maniacs for maniacal ends and I think I'm liable to be put away as insane for expressing that. That's what's insane about it. John Lennon
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01-13-2019, 07:31 PM	#20
ChiefRocka Veteran Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: DE Casino cash: $9775019	Also special teams not playing like rat turds
Posts: 3,810

01-15-2019, 11:46 AM	#22
BigRedChief Has a particular set of skills Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: On the water Casino cash: $3029627 VARSITY	Surprise, you quit putting some of the best pass rushers in the league in coverage 20 yards down the field, good things happen. I know shocker, right? Letting your best pass rushers get after the QB? Novel idea. __________________ Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering. -YODA
Posts: 79,103

01-15-2019, 01:06 PM	#23
Scorpion05 Starter Join Date: Dec 2018 Casino cash: $10000400	If Mahomes develops his pure QB skills..reading defenses, remaining poised, dissecting teams with precision..he will go down as the greatest QB ever. His talent is already arguably the best I've ever seen. But part of what makes Brady great is beyond talent. If Mahomes gets to that level with the mental aspect of the game, good lord
Posts: 56