Took a while, but Chiefs’ offensive advantage finally kicked in against Belichick & Co.
Patrick Mahomes didn’t have the best game of his career, but against the New England Patriots, any victory like Monday’s 26-10 decision is valued.
Two touchdown passes and no interceptions gave Mahomes a clean sheet. But he was fortunate not to have been picked off for the first time this season. And his touchdown passes weren’t the lovely rainbows that typically drop into the arms of speedsters like Tyreek Hill and Mecole Hardman.
On this night, Mahomes’ scoring tosses went to Hill and Hardman with a combined distance of about 1 yard. They were flips to the wide receivers in motion and streaking past the quarterback. Great timing plays, no doubt, and a touchdown is a touchdown.
The bottom line: Mahomes led the Chiefs to a victory over an AFC nemesis that almost always puts together a great defensive game plan.
“We made plays when we had to make plays,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “We can learn from this. It’s tough to beat the Patriots in any situation.”
Bill Belichick is a defensive mastermind. Look no further than the Patriots’ playoff run after the 2018 season. They held the Chiefs scoreless in the first half of the AFC Championship Game, then held the high-scoring Rams to a field goal in their Super Bowl win.
On Monday, the Patriots played the type of defense that has given Mahomes and the Chiefs’ offense some trouble. The Pats got pressure without blitzing and dropped several defensive backs into coverage to limit the space for stars like Hill and tight end Travis Kelce.
“They have a lot of good veteran players, that’s the first thing, and they have good schemes” Mahomes said. “As for us, I felt like we, especially me, didn’t play at a high enough level when you’re playing against a defense like that if you want to have success.:”
Eventually, Hill and Kelce came up with big plays. Hill finished with four receptions for 64 yards and the touchdown, scoring when he stretched the ball to the pylon. It marked his fourth straight game with a touchdown reception.
The game’s biggest offensive play may have been a 45-yard completion over the top to Kelce. That was the drive that ended with Hill’s touchdown.
“You see it with our team with this offense,” Mahomes said. “Even if you hold us down, we can make a play when it counts. That’s big. When you’re in games like that, in those dogfights and you’re going against teams that are really good, you have to be able to make a play. I thought guys made plays at the end of the game so we could go out there and get the win.”
The Chiefs were battling a Patriots team that didn’t have starting quarterback Cam Newton available due to a positive test for COVID-19. Replacement starter Brian Hoyer made several critical mistakes, and Jarrett Stidham, who played the fourth quarter, threw two interceptions.
The Chiefs had the clear edge at the position. But because of the Patriots’ defense, it took about three quarters for that advantage to be realized.
“Early in the game we were moving the ball the way we wanted to move it, and we couldn’t figure out ways to get into the end zone,” Mahomes said. “Then they got some stops.
“But I’m proud of the way the guys fought at the end of the game. That game could easily have gone in the other direction. They had momentum. But we found ways to score when it counted.”
This story was originally published October 5, 2020 at 10:03 PM.