Quote:
Originally Posted by TSonn
The more I watch the last possession in regulation the more it doesn't make sense. On 2nd down, Mahomes has Hardman open at the left pylon for his first read - a throw he has made dozens of times for TDs/first downs - but Mahomes just looks at him and decides against it. On 3rd down he's got Kelce open first and then Pringle - both are throws he's made dozens of times with success - but he decides against them. Granted, on the 3rd down play his first read is Hill which takes a bit to see it's covered all the way since it's a slant then fade, but still super frustrating. Both of these plays had normal "open" NFL windows - not wide open, not super tight coverage - a normal window with an above average chance at completion.
I don't think Mahomes had the yips at all because that sort of thing would've shown up in any of his epic comebacks and wins over the course of the last 4 years (and specifically would've showed up vs BUF) - but maybe there is something to be said about CIN letting KC get whatever they wanted all first half and then tightening up in the second half.
I'm not sure it was planned by CIN but basically they gave him huge windows in the first half which made for easy picking - then in the second half after CIN adjusted the normal NFL windows that Mahomes is used to seeing and throwing started to look a lot smaller compared to what he saw in the first half. So even though they were still normal open windows, the perception of them was different because of how easy and open things were in the first half. Basically, Mahomes then held onto the ball because he thought huge windows would open up like they did in the first half - but it never happened.
If it was planned that way it's some crazy Belichick-like magic.
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Are you talking about the last drive where they kicked the FG to tie it up? Did the Chiefs not run the ball the first 2 plays? Maybe I'm not remembering correctly.
I doubt it was planned. They got into a pretty big hole honestly at 21-3 and at the very least it should have been 24-10 going into half time. That, combined with a FG on the Chiefs' last possession would have been enough to win the game so even though I'm sure they had confidence in their offense to come back, they couldn't have been confident enough to give Mahomes that much in the 1H on purpose. They just made adjustments at halftime to their coverage.
Not to mention, the first drive of the 2H was a game changer in my opinion. Mahomes threw Hill and Kelce two very catchable balls on 2nd and 3rd down, both of which would have been enough for a 1st, and they dropped them. Granted, it was tight coverage but they were balls that should have been caught. If they catch one of those balls and get a 1st down and the Chiefs move the ball on their 1st drive then I think its game over. This was a problem all year and I think led to some of Mahomes' throwing issues. Not only were several of his interceptions from balls that hit receivers in their hands and they couldn't make the catch but once the drop issues started being a regular occurrence, I think Mahomes started tightening up on throws and overthrowing them in an effort to be perfect. That did the opposite though and he was less accurate in several games than he's normally been. Both of those factors probably played a part in his/their collapse in the 2H. I'm not putting all the blame on the receivers by any means. It was on Mahomes not to let that change his game and to stay patient and it's not easy for a receiver to make catches in tight windows.
I think they got a little complacent after the incredible 1H they had and they just assumed they'd be able to drive whenever they wanted. Even though they should have learned differently from their first game against the Bengals. I think when the coverage and plan changed for the Bengals and the windows tightened up and the Chiefs failed to move the ball the first couple of possessions they tightened up. They also seemed to move away from running the ball. In the 1H it seemed that almost every 1st down play was a running play and it allowed the passing game a little more breathing room. In the 2H it seemed nearly every 1st down they were passing the ball. I haven't looked back at the play by play though so this might be incorrect.