‘Like flying bullets.’ A year later, Chiefs are better prepared for speed of playoffs
Andy Reid doesn’t remember the first time he noticed it, probably because it was 25-plus years ago and he was an assistant with the Packers, not the head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs.
Chiefs wide receiver Sammy Watkins picked up on it during the AFC Championship Game last year. For quarterback Patrick Mahomes, it came during pregame warmups against the Colts last January, before he even played a postseason snap.
Whenever the timing, the Chiefs are well aware of it now: The playoffs are different. There are myriad of reasons why, but the nature of the difference centers on one aspect.
Speed.
“When we played the Patriots last year, it was like, ‘What the freak is this?’” Watkins said. “It was like flying bullets.”
As the Chiefs headed into last January, a few prominent figures on their roster had yet to experience a playoff game. Mahomes topped that list.
A year later, as the Chiefs prepare to host the Texans in the AFC Divisional Round at 2:05 p.m. Sunday, that experience will be a factor, they believe, though the run ended a win shy of the Super Bowl. Even their notable offseason acquisitions — safety Tyrann Mathieu, defensive end Frank Clark and Damien Wilson among them — have been here before.
“You understand that the game is faster,” Reid said. “It’s hard to explain that, but there’s a certain urgency that comes with it. Not that the guys aren’t playing hard — that’s not what it is. It’s just a step up. And every level that you take in the playoffs, they’re just that much faster — the game is.”
The gravity of the moment, in other words, can change the complexion of a game for those who haven’t yet experienced it.
Need an example? The Chiefs and their NFL record-setting offense were shut out in the first half of last year’s AFC Championship Game yet bounced back to score 31 in the second half. Watkins said he was punched in the mouth — literally — in that first half.
There’s a sense of preparedness this week.
“You can feel it in pregame warmups,” Mahomes said. “You can feel the intensity and how much faster everyone is moving around and how much every play counts. You get out there in warmups and you feel that energy, and you have to make sure you maintain and can find a way to do whatever it is to put your team in a better situation every single play.”
That leaves a class of rookies as the primary newcomers — wide receiver Mecole Hardman, defensive lineman Khalen Saunders, cornerback Rashad Fenton and running back Darwin Thompson could all factor into the game plan Sunday.
Reid offered reasons why he believes each will be fine in the new environment. Hardman spent his college career at Georgia playing in significant games in front of big crowds. Saunders just has the personality for it.
But ultimately, it’s something they will have to learn as they go.
Or perhaps in warmups.
“That doesn’t mean that you can’t be successful at it,” Reid said of playing in a first playoff game. “You just have to know it and then take it to heart. Then go about your work during the week that way.”
This story was originally published January 9, 2020 at 3:05 PM.