Around noon on Monday, roughly 15 hours after the worst defeat of his NFL career, Patrick Mahomes again addressed the media UFABET.
The quarterback was already looking toward the future. First, he needed to subject himself to one more brutal reminder of Sunday night.
“As of today, I’m gonna do whatever I can to look at the film and try to find ways to get better,” Mahomes said. “Obviously, with our offense and the success that we’ve had, when see the defensive plan they had and how well it worked, they’re obviously going to try to do the same thing.”
Mahomes is correct. After all, you don’t hold the league’s No. 1 overall offense in DVOA without a touchdown without a brilliantly executed game plan, and Bucs defensive coordinator Todd Bowles certainly delivered.
From there, head coach Andy Reid said the Bucs played lots of zone on first and second down. All while using their front four to control the Chiefs’ too-absent run game and consistently generate pressure.
Lastly on third downs, they mixed in some blitzes and stunts (which the Chiefs couldn’t pick up) while their speedy linebackers tracked down Mahomes on scrambles and shut off short passes.
Several teams have tried to copy this approach vs. Kansas City, with the 49ers doing a reasonable facsimile of that in last year’s Super Bowl. The difference this time was the stunning amount of pressure the Bucs generated Sunday night.
Due in part to the unwillingness Reid, offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy and the Chiefs to make greater changes to accommodate a banged-up offensive line.
Patrick Mahomes’ punishment got Tom Brady’s attention
From the second play from scrimmage Sunday, when defensive end Shaq Barrett hit Mahomes. It was obvious the Chiefs couldn’t block the Bucs’ defensive line straight up. Mahomes was sacked three times and hit eight more, and allowed to be pressure on 29 of 56 dropbacks.
Mahomes’ plight even drew the eye of Bucs quarterback Tom Brady.
“I think what our defensive line did last night incredible,” Brady said Monday morning. “It’s very difficult, almost impossible to play quarterback under duress like that. That’s just the reality of football.
You have a rhythm in your head of how a play should go or you know the rhythm of a certain play, and if that rhythm is thrown off from the snap of the ball, you’re just scrambling to make plays and Pat was doing everything he could to make a bunch of plays last night.
He’s running around, reversing field, doubling back, tripling back, and then, you know, made some great throws.
“But in the end, you know, it’s tough to do that consistently and play on rhythm.”
Brady has had his share of nightmare games under duress, so he enjoyed the show from the opposite sideline.
Mahomes makes tough football look easier than anybody else. While he has normalized his ability to do the amazing, it’s fair to wonder if he should have been asked to as much as he was Sunday.