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Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs identify the next trend they must overcome: man coverage – The Athletic

Kim Martel

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Once you’ve become a great NFL quarterback, opposing defenses, especially the quality units, understand that a game plan against you can be torched if you consider it ordinary — or deem it similar to what that unit has done in the past few games.

Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs’ superstar quarterback, understands this.

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Preparing for Mahomes, in hopes of defeating the Chiefs, often comes down to a single question for opposing head coaches and defensive coordinators: How much can you change your coverage schemes — and do you have the players talented and smart enough to execute such tendency-breaking plays well — to present a higher-level challenge for Mahomes, the league’s most talented quarterback?

“Defenses are throwing us different pitches,” Mahomes, a former star baseball player and the son of a major leaguer, said Wednesday prior to the Chiefs’ practice. “They know that last year was kind of more shell and zone coverages. They had some success with that. Then we started beating that, and then they went back to the man coverages again now.”

That shift back was evident for Mahomes and the rest of the Chiefs’ potent offense Sunday when the Buffalo Bills, their biggest rival in the AFC, had a defensive plan that deviated from their usual strategy. A defense ranked No. 1 in the league in points allowed per game (13.5), the Bills used their changeup (man-to-man coverage) almost as much as their excellent fastball (zone coverage).

In Mahomes’ 47 dropbacks, the Bills were in zone coverage just 51.1 percent of the time (24 snaps) while using man 42.6 percent (20), according to Pro Football Focus and TruMedia. The Bills exited Arrowhead Stadium with a well-earned 24-20 victory in part because their defense accomplished two major tasks against Mahomes: It generated pressure with just four defenders, led by star pass rusher Von Miller, and the secondary performed well even before cornerback Taron Johnson made the game-clinching interception.

In essence, the Bills accomplished what the Las Vegas Raiders couldn’t. The previous week inside Arrowhead Stadium, the Raiders played man coverage on 62 percent (31 snaps) of Mahomes’ 50 dropbacks.

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“With the record that we have, we seem to get different looks than maybe what the team has shown traditionally,” coach Andy Reid said. “We’ve seen that for the last couple of years. You have to be a little flexible to maneuver around it. We’re lucky that we have guys that can retain (previous game plans), a quarterback that gets it. So we’re able to pull a couple things here and there if needed.”

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Against the Raiders, Mahomes acknowledged after the Chiefs’ victory that the offense’s decision-making quartet — himself, Reid, offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy and quarterbacks coach Matt Nagy — had to make a massive play-calling adjustment. Reid explained that the Chiefs ran certain plays they had practiced during training camp with passing concepts that are designed to work against man coverage. In similar circumstances, if the trend of opponents using more man coverage continues, Reid said the Chiefs could use plays they’ve had success with from the past couple seasons.

“It’s like a reservoir,” Reid said. “You kind of draw from that as you go through the year. Well, you might have to draw a little sooner than you might think.”

The Raiders used man coverage, and sometimes a jam near the line of scrimmage from star defensive end Maxx Crosby, to put two defenders on star tight end Travis Kelce in their attempt to disrupt Kelce’s route and timing with Mahomes. But six of Kelce’s skill-position teammates — running backs Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Jerick McKinnon and receivers JuJu Smith-Schuster, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Mecole Hardman and Justin Watson — recorded a reception of at least 10 yards, many of these plays against the Raiders’ man coverage.

The Chiefs’ skill-position players were less effective against the Bills’ man coverage. In the fourth quarter, when the Chiefs possessed the ball with a three-point lead in what they considered a close-out drive, Mahomes was sacked by Miller on a pivotal third-and-6 play in part because Kelce, Smith-Schuster, Valdes-Scantling and rookie Skyy Moore couldn’t gain separation in their respective one-on-one matchups.

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“For us, it’s about having good (plays) versus all (types of defensive) plays and then me getting to the right read in the progression,” said Mahomes, who faced zone coverage on 56.7 percent of his 164 dropbacks in the first four games of the season. “I just have to be better at working from within the pocket to make those throws downfield.”

A similar two-game sample occurred for Mahomes during the 2019 season. In Week 4, the Detroit Lions used man coverage on 75 percent (36 snaps) of Mahomes’ 48 dropbacks. Mahomes led the Chiefs to a comeback victory despite the Lions often using two defenders to cover Kelce. The following week, the Indianapolis Colts used man coverage 69.6 percent of Mahomes’ 46 dropbacks. The Colts won the game, holding the Chiefs to a season-low 13 points. A large reason why the Lions and Colts altered their coverage tactics was because of who wasn’t on the field for those games: star receiver Tyreek Hill, the league’s fastest player who has a habit of toasting man-to-man defenders.

This season, of course, the Chiefs don’t have Hill, who was traded in March to the Miami Dolphins. But they still have Mahomes, who believes his previous experience, as a six-year veteran, will help him adjust quicker to better help the offense thwart man coverage.

“Even when defenses give me the false man-zone (identifications), you get a good feel by the alignment of the (defensive backs) or how the linebackers’ eyes are in the backfield,” Mahomes said. “There’s little tells you can get from every defense. I think I’ve done a great job of that, but now it’s just about getting through your progressions and getting it to the right guy. That’s something I think I could’ve been better than I was last week.”

One moment from Sunday’s game that was indicative of Mahomes’ pre-snap intelligence happened early in the fourth quarter. Mahomes recognized and anticipated the Bills’ rare six-man blitz. But safety Damar Hamlin jumped in the air to make the short pass to fullback Michael Burton harder. Mahomes’ pass was behind Burton, who couldn’t make a one-hand reception.

“Whenever you check to a play, and you get to the right play and the right time with the pressure coming and then you miss the guy, it definitely hurts, especially against a team (such as the Bills),” Mahomes said. “If that’s me having to throw it higher, or whatever it is, to find that window to make that throw, that could’ve been a (big) point in the game. He could’ve scored a touchdown. Burton is pretty good in the open space.”

When targeting receivers this season, Mahomes’ best options against man coverage, based on reviewing film and production, appear to be Hardman, the four-year speedster, and Moore, who has recorded six receptions for 100 yards. Known for his quickness and speed, having run the 40-yard dash in 4.41 seconds at the league’s scouting combine, Moore has played more snaps the past three games than he did in the first three. The 38 routes Moore has run in that stretch, according to TruMedia, showcase his versatility — on crossers, corners, slants, digs and outs — to win one-on-one matchups.

“He’s going to continue to grow through the season,” Reid said of Moore. “The more he plays, the better he’s going to get, the more familiar it’ll become, the faster he’ll play. We give him a little bit more each week and he’s been doing fine with it.”

Moore said his confidence has grown from the past two weeks. His one reception against the Bills, which went for 24 yards, was a memorable one against man coverage. After motioning across the formation, Moore gained separation against cornerback Dane Jackson on an out route. Mahomes, while moving within the pocket, connected with Moore in stride so that the receiver could gain an additional 13 yards after the reception.

“It makes the game way more simple: All I’ve got to do is beat him,” Moore said Wednesday. “I love when people play man.”

Within the Chiefs’ training facility, everyone understands that perhaps the greatest advantage the offense has this season against opposing defenses who play man coverage well is Mahomes’ scrambling ability, which allows him to improvise and extend plays. The Chiefs’ two touchdowns against the Bills occurred when Mahomes held on to the ball the two longest times in the game from the snap to when he unleashed his pass. Mahomes held the ball for 6.74 seconds against zone coverage before connecting with Smith-Schuster for a 42-yard touchdown, according to NFL’s Next Gen Stats. And in the red zone against man coverage, Mahomes had the ball 4.7 seconds before he found Hardman in the end zone for a 3-yard touchdown pass.

“I kind of like it when Pat scrambles,” Moore said, smiling. “You can find that space and I know he’s good at doing it. I keep it in the back of my head every play.

“When you know a guy is assigned to you, and if he doesn’t cover you, nobody else is accounting for you.”

Injury update

Defensive end Mike Danna (right calf), Joe Thuney (sprained ankle) and cornerback Rashad Fenton (hamstring) didn’t participate in Wednesday’s practice. Rookie safety Bryan Cook (in step four of the league’s five-step concussion protocol) was a limited participant.

“He’s doing better,” Reid said of Danna. He later said of Thuney also getting a day of rest: “We’re just monitoring those two guys.”

Hardman (heel), linebacker Willie Gay (returning from four-game suspension), kicker Harrison Butker (left ankle), cornerback L’Jarius Sneed (knee) and right guard Trey Smith (pectoral muscle) were full participants.

“We’ll just see how things go this week,” Reid said of Gay returning to the team’s starting lineup for Sunday’s game against the San Francsisco 49ers. “We’ll see where he’s at.”

While not on the active roster, rookie cornerback Trent McDuffie (left hamstring) was with his teammates on the practice fields. Reid also said tight end Blake Bell (rehabbing from hip flexor injury) and Lucas Niang (rehabbing from torn patellar tendon in his left knee) could return to practice sometime in November, following the team’s bye week.

“They are getting better,” Reid said of Bell and Niang. “We’ll just have to see how it goes.”

(Photo of Patrick Mahomes: Denny Medley / USA Today)