[KChiefs1]

Chiefs need to do a better job with working the clock. Michael Lombardi stated it pretty well on the Border Patrol.

Clock time = plays

40 seconds is equal to 5 plays for your opponent.

Good listen.

https://omny.fm/shows/the-border-pat...el-lombardi-11

https://theathletic.com/666441/2018/...trick-mahomes/

The NFL looked like a Big 12 game during Monday night’s showdown between the Rams and Chiefs, with the ball moving up and down the field and neither team having any sustained success on defense, (though big single defensive plays were certainly key to the result.)

And who cares, because everyone loved it.

Just as the NBA has become a three-point shot league, the NFL with the Rams, Chiefs and Saints this year has become a whoever-gets-to-fifty-points-first-wins league — and every other team is going to have to figure out how to compete.

When an NFL executive watches games on television or tape, he must always be asking himself, ‘how does my team match up? Can we beat these teams?’ Al Davis, the Hall of Fame owner of the Raiders, was obsessed with making sure his talent level could match the talent within his division as well as the entire AFC. In any discussion regarding the opponent’s players, his questions always focused on ‘can we handle him? Does our talent match their talent?’ And when his team fell short in a specific area, he would try to trade for a player he felt could turn the balance of power in his favor. Divisional matchup boards were essential to him. I would have a chart on my computer that had each player on offense and defense in the league and how the Raider players ranked in their positional comparison.

Last night’s game featured a team from each conference. Therefore, all 30 team builders — even those on the Saints and Patriots, who beat the Ram and Chiefs, respectively — need to ask themselves today: how do we match up going forward?

If I were in New England working with Pats coach Bill Belichick, I would give him my overview of what it would take to beat either team in the postseason. My first concern would be the conditioning of our team. After a game that included 105 total points and 1,001 total yards, we’d need to make sure we were in great shape to play the entire 60 minutes and never wear down. Conditioning is an often overlooked aspect of the game, yet it’s a determining factor in so many. How often have you seen a wide receiver, after he runs a deep route, put his hand up toward the sideline to signal he needs a break, but the corner who covered him has to line up for the next play? If teams want to play man to man, they must be in great shape in every area of their team, from the defensive line to the linebackers to the secondary. It’s taxing for any secondary to play man to man for all 60 minutes. In November and December, conditioning matters more than any time of the season in part because a team in great shape will play with good pad level and with leverage. An out of shape team will play tall when tired and get knocked off the ball. Pad level always matters in football, and being in great shape allows teams to maintain their pad level.

My second concern would center on pacing. In today’s game, where offenses can score over 40 points, pace is vitally important. The Chiefs lost on Monday night not only because of their turnovers, (which were a killer, minus 3 in the turnover/takeaway column) but somewhat because they misunderstood that the essence of the game is not just about scoring quickly, it’s about scoring in a timely fashion and understanding the clock is as much of an opponent as the Rams. And, to be fair, the winning team made this mistake as well. It’s difficult to resist scoring as quickly as possible, but with offenses as lethal as these two, it’s something that is essential to take into consideration. All of us watching at home knew if the Rams got the ball back, they would score again. Why didn’t the Chiefs know this? When the Chiefs got the ball back with 6:33 to go in the game, they needed to factor the clock into their objectives. After the Chiefs converted a fourth and two, the Rams had no timeouts remaining with a little over 4 minutes left in the game. But rather than milking the clock for as long as they could, the Chiefs naturally took the lead five plays later with 2:47 remaining.

When the Rams took the field trailing by four points, they also knew the Chiefs had three timeouts left. Therefore they should have had two objectives: First, score and take the lead. Second, make the Chiefs use their timeouts. Obviously scoring with under ten seconds remaining with no timeouts left for the Chiefs would have been the perfect scenario. Instead, the Rams, like the Chiefs, couldn’t care less about the clock and just wanted to score. Six plays later the Rams did just that, taking the lead with 1:54 remaining … but the Chiefs still had all of their timeouts. In a game where it felt like the last team to possess the ball would be the winner, Kansas City was in a great position, but the Rams’ Samson Ebukam, who had an incredible game, hit Patrick Mahomes’ arm, and former Chief Marcus Peters had the ball drop into his lap.

And even after committing that turnover, the game was not over.

The Rams got the ball back with another chance to make the Chiefs burn all their remaining timeouts, but the Rams wanted to be aggressive and put the game away right then and there. They threw on second down, and the pass fell incomplete, stopping the clock. Yes, Sean McVay is an aggressive coach, and he knows his opponent at hand doesn’t need much time to score regardless, so he was hoping to deny them a chance to have the ball altogether. But every time a team doesn’t force their opponent to use their timeouts, they are graciously giving them five more offensive plays. Why would any team consider doing this, particularly when the opponent is Patrick Mahomes?

It didn’t seem like either of these teams cared much about how the clock factored into the game, but it’s certainly going to be necessary that whichever teams end up facing them in the playoffs do pay attention to it and consider how to pace the game. Because other than the Saints, no team in the NFL can afford to get into a track meet with the Rams or the Chiefs.

The next point I’d focus on: Tyreek Hill. Each time the Chiefs wide receiver makes a catch or sprints past an entire defense, I expect my cell phone to ring with Al Davis on the line screaming to me, “why isn’t he on MY team.” I would explain to Davis that Hill pleaded guilty to domestic violence charges which got him kicked off the Oklahoma State football and track teams, which prevented the Raiders from taking him in 2016, and that’s the right answer to that question. The Chiefs took a huge risk in selecting Hill and that risk has paid off enormously. But understand it is a risk many NFL teams will never accept, and for good reason. Hill was never a fifth-round talent, he was always an elite talent, but character does factor in when building a team.

But Hill is, indeed, a game changer and Davis would have loved having him on the field. His combination of rare explosive speed, hands, and power make him the most dangerous player in the NFL. Just based on the talent level on the field, if the Giants called and offered Odell Beckham Jr. for Hill, the Chiefs would laugh out loud. There is no offensive player like Hill in the NFL and there is no defender on any team that can take him out of the game. You cannot jam him at the line of scrimmage; he is too strong. You cannot allow him free access into his route; he is way too fast. He must be doubled on every single play regardless of where he aligns and Chiefs coach Andy Reid does a great job of finding ways to formation Hill away from double teams.

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The Rams don’t have a Hill, but another point on how to slow Los Angeles down would center on pass rush lanes and discipline. Rams quarterback Jared Goff was outstanding last night, especially considering the Rams decided not to use Gurley to run the ball throughout the game. Gurley only touched the ball 12 times, which is not typical of the Rams play calling. When Gurley is not involved, it places enormous pressure on Goff, and last night he responded when he had time. The key to slowing down the Rams’ offense lies with the pass rush. When the Chiefs rushers were able to get “in the paint,” the area from the back of the center to in front of the quarterback, Goff was not as successful. Opposing defenses must rush Goff down the middle and not allow him to step up and make throws. Chiefs tackle Chris Jones was excellent last night pushing the pocket and forcing Goff not to have a clean pocket. When the Chiefs got into the paint, the Rams’ offense sputtered slightly.

My final point would be that we have to understand the game has dramatically changed. Old school situational field position thinking is a thing of the past. The NFL wants high scoring games. Therefore, we must manage the game differently as it relates to field position, clock management, going for two, and deciding on when to kick field goals and we should never think our defense can close out the game. We must win games with our offense while always understanding that the clock can be our friend and our opponent.

I admit, I loved watching the game, but I suspect few teams in the league are set up to compete at this level, so I don’t expect more 50 point games this season.

We might just have to wait until Super Bowl 53 to get another one.