Hill, Kelce a tough puzzle
Pats ‘D’ must do its best
FOXBORO — Minutes after an exhilarating win against the Chiefs in October, Patriots veteran Duron Harmon summed up his night against Tyreek Hill in a dozen words.
“He is,” Harmon said, “by far the fastest person I’ve ever come in contact with.”
He’s a matchup nightmare, but then again so is his entire team.
Facing the Chiefs is a game of whack-a-mole for any defensive coordinator. Prioritize Hill, and Sammy Watkins pops up. He was on pace for 1,000 yards before a foot injury wiped out of the second half of his season. Double-team Travis Kelce with a safety, and you’re taking chances one-on-one elsewhere. You can’t stop it all.
“I think you have to put your chips on something,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. “You have to try to do something that you feel like is important in the game, try to do that well, have a plan for how you’re going to deal with other things and let the game declare a little bit, which it will.”
Is it possible to limit both Kelce and Hill?
If it is, nobody’s figured out the formula.
The Chargers shut down Kelce to the tune of one catch for 6 yards in the season opener. Hill went nuts for 169 yards and two touchdowns. The Raiders almost blanked Hill in Week 13, limiting him to one catch for 13 yards. Kelce destroyed them for 12 receptions, 168 yards and two touchdowns.
Only one team held both Kelce and Hill under 70 yards: The Chargers in a 2928 victory in Week 15.
When the Patriots beat the Chiefs in Week 6, they allocated extra resources to both All-Pros. The goal was to disrupt Kelce’s release wherever he went. If Kelce was aligned from a traditional tight end position, that meant the defensive end (in many cases Trey Flowers) would bump him as he started his route. If Kelce was detached from the formation, a linebacker followed him and did the same.
The strategy was mostly effective, even though it meant subtracting a potential pass-rusher from the equation (sometimes Dont’a Hightower would jam Kelce then rush a second late).
The Pats didn’t allow much to Hill when they were in man coverage with a safety shading toward his side.
But attempts to jam him were basically a waste.
Hill gained 27 yards and a third-and-17 against zone coverage. His 75-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter also was against zone coverage and a three-man rush.
And Kareem Hunt’s 67yard touchdown? Zone coverage with two deep safeties. Also a three-man rush.
The Pats won’t enter Sunday’s AFC Championship with an identical gameplan. Their personnel has changed, as undrafted rookie J.C. Jackson has emerged as a strong No. 2 cornerback. They might trust Jackson to man up with Watkins and let Gilmore chase Hill.
“When you’re dealing with Andy Reid, a great offensive mastermind, he’s going to make it hard on the defense,” Harmon said. “It’s going to be like a chess match, something that we’re excited and ready for.”
In the Week 6 matchup, the Patriots thrived when linebackers and defensive backs hovered over the ball before the snap, making it difficult for the offensive line to identify which players were rushing and which were dropping. That trend has continued late in the season.
As Reid said, “They’re bringing everybody.”
“You’ve got to come up with a plan to try to put body-on-body,” the coach added. “They’re moving people around and they mess with you that way.”’
On a third-and-4 at the Pats 24-yard line, they showed seven potential rushers. Hightower and Van Noy retreated to the shallow middle at the snap. Devin McCourty and Harmon rushed with three defensive linemen, and the Kansas City offensive line didn’t make the read quickly enough. Harmon got a free run at Patrick Mahomes, forcing him to unload early. He missed Kelce on a corner route and the Chiefs settled for a field goal.
There’s danger in sending extra rushers at Mahomes; if he side-steps the tackler and flees the pocket, he’ll spot Hill inevitably running away from the DB covering him.
“Andy does a great job of putting the defense in compromising positions where you have to make choices,” Belichick said.
There are no perfect answers. The Patriots can simply hope the lane they choose ends up working just well enough.