The Las Vegas Raiders were humiliated by the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday. Four months ago, few thought he'd be in this position. The Raiders acquisition of Davante Adams made them the most dangerous duo in the division, as well as the fact that theAFC West was getting too crowded. Two high coverages on early downs is a defensive trend.
The increase of two-high coverage usage started as a counter to Mahomes and Hill. "F**k it, Tyreek's down there somewhere" was a joke that became a running joke after the fact.
Last season, Mahomes faced two-deep coverage on a league-high 389 dropbacks, completing 215-of-332 passes for 2,532 yards, nine touchdown, nine interception, and a passer rating of 88.6, which ranked 10th in the league. There was a fear that the adjustments and the move for Hill would affect his ability.
The growing chorus of NFL tastemakers surmised that Joe Burrow or Josh Allen were better quarterbacks as a result of the struggles with two-high defensive shells. Two of his three losses this season were to the same opponent.
He is still on his heels. After creating a cushion and quelling the doubts, the Chiefs went on to win the title and a first round bye. His readjustment was unique because of how he did it.
Entering Sunday, Mahomes is third in the league in completed air yards per completion, but 19th in complete air yards per completion. Tua Tagovailoa was the leader in air yards per completion. Twenty-eight of the league-leading 41 touchdown passes were to running backs or tight ends, and he connected with 12 of them.
The void left behind by Hill allowed the young quarterback to develop a relationship with his versatile tailbacks. Running back Jerick McKinnon caught at least one touchdown pass in six games in a row and his nine touchdown reception tied Marshall Faulk and Chuck Foreman for the most touchdown catches in a single season.
He pulled magic out of his hat a lot. The best sideways scrambler in the league covered more distance than any other signal caller behind the line of scrimmage.
To win a Super Bowl, Mahomes will have to do something that has never been done before. No quarterback in the history of the National Football League has won a Super Bowl in the same season. Brady is the closest a quarterback has come to doing that twice. Johnny Unitas led the league in touchdown in 1959 and went on to win an NFL title.
The Kansas City team that led the league in passing yards in 2020 sat out the last week of the season and ended up losing in the Super Bowl. Six quarterbacks have finished one game short of the Super Bowl leader in passing yards. Dan Marino, Kurt Warner, Rich Gannon, Tom Brady, and Peyton Manning all played in the same year.
The lack of talent on Kansas City's defensive end in comparison to the personnel Buffalo, Philadelphia, and even Cincinnati have at their disposal makes it difficult for him to succeed. Their hopes rest on Mahomes.
The lack of a workhorse in the backfield has forced Mahomes to keep his foot on the gas, but their pre-snap motions and distribution has made it difficult.
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