Step up to mobile Mahomes
KC offense better with new QB
FOXBORO — Stephon Gilmore didn’t need much time to ponder the question.
Is Tyreek Hill the fastest player you’ve ever seen?
“Yeah,” Gilmore said reflexively. Then he chuckled. “Probably, yeah,” he added. “Elite speed.”
The last time Gilmore saw Hill he was trailing him by 10 yards as the Chiefs’ speedster hauled in a deep ball from quarterback Alex Smith along the right sideline. And by the time Hill crossed the Gillette Stadium goal line, flashing a peace sign to free safety Devin McCourty, Gilmore had barely reached the 20yard line.
Much has changed since then for Gilmore, the prized free agent who fell flat in his Patriots debut. He’s become arguably the team’s best all-around defender, regularly eliminating opposing receivers.
Much has changed for the Chiefs, too. They were a very good offense last year. Now they’re making last year’s offense look like it was coached by Jeff Fisher.
“They’re the best team in football,” said Patriots linebacker Kyle Van Noy.
One of two unbeatens, the Chiefs have topped 30 points in all but one game. They’re generating big plays at an unbelievable rate, ripping off 27 plays of 20 yards or longer. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes ranks near the top of the league in average depth of target, trailing only Tyrod Taylor and Ryan Fitzpatrick, both of whom have been benched.
That’s not happening anytime soon for Mahomes, a leading MVP candidate through five weeks.
“He gets the ball to all of his receivers quick, quick release, sees things quickly, can extend plays,” said Patriots coach Bill Belichick. “(He’s) got a great arm, got a fabulous arm, can throw the ball out of the stadium.”
The Chiefs traded up to the No.10 pick to grab Mahomes in 2017. He sat one year behind Smith, who enjoyed a career season before the Chiefs went to Mahomes and their former starter went to the Redskins.
If Mahomes’ ridiculous arm strength wasn’t apparent when he entered the league, it definitely was in the preseason. Against the Falcons, he launched the ball 70 yards in the air and Hill blazed past three defenders for the touchdown.
“The farther the quarterback can throw it then the more you’ve got to defend,” Belichick said. “If the ball is on their 20-yard line you’ve still got to defend to the goal line against him. He can rip it.”
With Mahomes replacing Smith, coach Andy Reid altered the offense. According to Belichick, the Chiefs run “maybe 10” run-pass options per game.
“That’s a new part of the offense,” he said on his weekly WEEI interview. “They didn’t have the RPO system (in 2017) like they have now.”
The transition for Mahomes has been easier because, well, the Chiefs are loaded. Travis Kelce statistically matched Rob Gronkowski a year ago. He’s on pace for 1,302 yards this year, which would be the most by a tight end since Gronkowski in 2011. The Chiefs ponied up in free agency for Sammy Watkins, who has generated big plays. He’s lost in the shuffle mostly because of his counterpart at receiver.
“I would say Tyreek, in particular, is an extreme talent,” said Patriots cornerbacks coach Josh Boyer. The key to stopping Hill? “You’ve got to study,” Gilmore said. “Coaches (will) have a good game plan, everybody knows he’s fast. You’ve got to trust your technique, play what you see, and be aggressive and make plays.”
The Patriots face two distinct tasks in the coming weeks.
Their next road trip is to Chicago, which boasts an unfathomable amount of talent along their defensive front seven. The Bears will test Tom Brady and Josh McDaniels like few defenses can.
Against the Chiefs, it’s the other side of the ball that gets put under the microscope.
It might be hyperbole to suggest that this Week 6 Sunday night showdown is the biggest regular-season game in years for the Patriots. It’s not hyperbole to declare this Chiefs offense as one of the most potent units to visit Foxboro in a long time.
When Peyton Manning and the record-breaking Broncos came to town in 2013, Belichick dared them to run. And so Manning handed off 37 times to Knowshon Moreno. In a wild 34-31 Patriots win, Manning was limited to just 150 passing yards. That Denver team finished as the No. 1 scoring offense in history. The 2018 Chiefs, averaging 35 points per game, are on pace to finish as a top-five all-time offense.
So far, few defensive coordinators have come close to designing an adequate plan to contain them.
Now Belichick gets a crack next, and the muchmaligned Patriots defense gets its greatest challenge of the year.