Patrick Mahomes: Game Manager

[DJ's left nut]

So i re-watched the 2nd half last night just for grins.

And during the game I was just aggravated that we simply wouldn't push the ball. But on re-watch and after listening to the post-game, it's clear that this was Mahomes just going full Alex Smith out there.

He wasn't concerned anymore about scoring points. He (and Andy) were wholly content bleeding clock and leaning on their lead. He knew that if he just didn't make a mistake, the Ravens weren't going to come back and win it. So he took ZERO risks.

Contrast that with how he played on the first two drives. And hell, the throw he made on 3rd down when they had to have it. He HAD big plays. He HAD yards and probably points on the board. But he dialed that risk/reward calculus waaaaaaay down because he wanted to make sure there were zero mistakes.

And I think part of it was because he knew that if he needed to pick things back up, he could. He would. He was in complete command of the game and game script.

It was part of a continued evolution from Mahomes. If he needs to breath fire, he will. But when he doesn't need to, he knows how to just keep the game under control. He can be Rodgers OR he can be Brady.

He's a scary scary dude even when he isn't.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by jd1020

I just dont understand the thought process behind "not needing to."

This team should never be content. Too many games reach uncomfortable stages because we get content. The game was only ever 10 points of separation for 3 quarters. I can't imagine a world in which that little of a lead should ever be considered "enough."

It's not that they weren't scoring because they didn't need to.

They weren't scoring because they put the risk knob to 0. And the Ravens defense is very good.

If you're going to score on them, you're going to have to make higher risk plays (the flip to Kelce on 3rd, for example). But the squad seemed to understand that the Ravens, if given a long field, were going to make a mistake before they score. They knew the Ravens couldn't drive a long field.

So rather than risk giving them a short field, they chose to play the field position game, force them to execute for a full drive and get it into the end zone.

And Baltimore simply never could. Every time they got to the red zone required a big play. We went into a shell on defense AND offense. Because it's pretty damn hard to do one but not the other. If you're going play the way we were playing defensively, you need to complement that offensively and continue to force them into long drives.

[staylor26]

Originally Posted by jd1020

Even before the game got to 1 score and Mahomes hit MVS to seal the game, the Chiefs had at least 2 opportunities to maintain a drive and put the game away but they went 3 and out. That isn't game management. This offense is just hurting. How many games did we see this year that looked a lot like last night but didnt have the other team fumbling at the 1 yard line and instead took the lead? Then when it was Mahomes' time to go and win it, the winning part didn't happen.

All of this is negated by the MVS play. That's kind of the point.

[O.city]

Originally Posted by Pasta Little Brioni

Hopefully but it was a trend all season that we struggled in the 2nd half

Absolutely. But (and I think this is what DJ is getting at) when we did end up losing those games, it usually was because the offense did something stupid and put the D in bad spots.

[jd1020]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

It's not that they weren't scoring because they didn't need to.

They weren't scoring because they put the risk knob to 0. And the Ravens defense is very good.

Did we though? We went for it on 4th down at like their 20 yard line. I dont see how we turned the risk knob to 0. We were struggling.

[Pasta Little Brioni]

The 4th down call early in the game was the right call too...unlike Campbell's biffs.

[Bearcat]

Those first few drives were ****ing magical. The Ravens had great coverage at times and it didn't even matter, the throws were just better. It's as good as we've seen this offense when it's not just outrunning the defense.

I'm surprised the Ravens backed off their blitzes on a few plays, they were blowing up shit for a little while.... I know the Chiefs were also keeping Pacheco in there to pick it up and they were trying to confuse Mahomes, so obviously a lot of cat and mouse.

[O.city]

I'm good with the 4th down call. I'd have challenged the Kelce catch, I think we gain some yardage and make the 4th down easier though.

[pugsnotdrugs19]

He's become a chameleon, capable of compartmentalizing everything that goes on around him to best set the team up to WIN...

In future years, we will have groups that aren't nearly as good on defense... and we will see the offense more aggressive. Whatever it takes to improve the odds of winning, Mahomes is gonna do.

Right now, as he has been saying since Cincinnati, protecting the ball is at the top of the to-do list.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by O.city

Sure, but even with the Zay TD, what DJ is saying is they'd have turned it back up.

I'd have liked to have put another TD on the board for sure, but at some point, you have to play the hand you get dealt.

Exactly.

If Zay scores, it's not that we would've 'flipped a switch' - Patrick simply would've been willing to turn the risk knob back up a bit. He'd have been willing to make some of those throws that MIGHT go the other way if he doesn't execute them perfectly.

If there was some zero-risk shot play even when we were playing it tight, Mahomes would've taken it. But the Ravens defense is really damn good (and played like it) so that play wasn't there. So he just kept taking the low risk stuff unless/until he had to do otherwise.

And with the game on the line and really zero risk, he took the shot to MVS. Because if its picked, it's an arm punt. Even if it's incomplete, we punt and they get the ball back at about the 2 minute mark with zero timeouts) vs getting it at about 1:50 with zero timeouts had we taken an underneath throw to keep the clock running).

It was all about playing risk-free football until the Ravens proved they could overcome that. They simply never did.

[Bearcat]

Originally Posted by Pasta Little Brioni

The 4th down call early in the game was the right call too...unlike Campbell's biffs.

I really didn't like it because it was a free possession, so take the free points... but was totally content with 17-7, because who knows what happens if they make a FG there and how the Ravens play calling changes.... was just happy to hold them off the board and tack on the 3 to end the half.

[stevieray]

Originally Posted by jd1020

but didnt have the other team fumbling at the 1 yard line .

"They" didn't fumble. I dislike this narrative that they get the credit for an absolute STUD play by Sneed.

The number 2 defense did what number two defenses do:

TD?

DENIED

[Pasta Little Brioni]

Originally Posted by O.city

Absolutely. But (and I think this is what DJ is getting at) when we did end up losing those games, it usually was because the offense did something stupid and put the D in bad spots.

Look...I get what he's saying but ultimately I think it's a cop out fir just how bad they reacted to Baltimores adjustments on defense. It also allowed our defense to be on the field all half and the Ravens moved the ball at will in the 2nd half.

[jd1020]

Originally Posted by stevieray

"They" didn't fumble. I dislike this narrative that they get the credit for an absolute STUD play by Sneed.

The number 2 defense does what number two defenses do:

TD?

DENIED

It was a stud play that was awarded by the same dumb****ery that caused Hardman to fumble at the 1 against the Bills. Do you credit the Bills for that fumble too?

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by O.city

They were pretty backed up then, IIRC.

Started at our own 20 both times.

Both times with a 2 score lead in the 4th quarter with the clock as an ally. Those 2 drives took 6 minutes off the clock.

Those are successful drives and drives where there was never a chance we were going to give them a short field.

That's winning game management.

[RunKC]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

It's not that they weren't scoring because they didn't need to.

They weren't scoring because they put the risk knob to 0. And the Ravens defense is very good.

If you're going to score on them, you're going to have to make higher risk plays (the flip to Kelce on 3rd, for example). But the squad seemed to understand that the Ravens, if given a long field, were going to make a mistake before they score. They knew the Ravens couldn't drive a long field.

So rather than risk giving them a short field, they chose to play the field position game, force them to execute for a full drive and get it into the end zone.

And Baltimore simply never could. Every time they got to the red zone required a big play. We went into a shell on defense AND offense. Because it's pretty damn hard to do one but not the other. If you're going play the way we were playing defensively, you need to complement that offensively and continue to force them into long drives.

Only thing I disagree about yesterday was not taking the FG on 4th and 1 which made me believe that after Lamar's only TD Andy thought it could be a possible shootout.

Just take the points Andy. Omenihu gave us a great turnover in FG range and we wasted it by going for it against by far the leagues best rush defense that has done well all year in those short yardage situations.

Not getting points there hurt. Get what you can with this defense bc it's gonna be hard for any offense to score TD's on us