What the Pats can learn from the Chiefs
Offensive improvement a must
Super Bowl LVII provided a clear and emphatic illustration of what today’s NFL is all about.
The Chiefs beat the Eagles 38-35 largely because they are masters at moving the football, and have the best quarterback in the game in Patrick Mahomes. The Chiefs can put up points in a hurry, score on every possession if necessary to get the job done, and come from behind facing any kind of deficit.
That used to be a longheld distinction of the Patriots’ championship teams with Tom Brady at the helm. Only now, that’s a far cry from what the team has shown on offense, and glaringly so last season.
They weren’t the least bit explosive, scoring 30 points just once during the year. And there was no such thing as having the ability to make a comeback, especially against any of the good teams. If an opposing team hit 25, or had a late lead, the Patriots were most likely toast.
Watching both the Chiefs and Eagles run their respective offenses, it merely re-emphasized the gap that now exists between them and the Patriots.
Will new offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien help close that gap? Given his credentials, it’s hard to imagine he won’t.
O’Brien will bring back competency and creativity. He’ll utilize an offense that better suits Mac Jones and his skillset, not to mention the personnel around the quarterback. The Patriots, however, still fall short in so many other significant offensive areas both the Chiefs and Eagles excel, namely quarterback, offensive line and receiving weapons.
Mahomes is a generational talent. He led the Chiefs to three touchdowns and a game-winning field goal on the team’s four second-half possessions, going 13of-14 with two passing touchdowns. Jalen Hurts, meanwhile, proved he is going to be a force to be reckoned with given his otherworldly performance (27 of 38 for 304 yards, 4 overall TDs) on the NFL’s biggest stage. Jones?
He’s now a third-year quarterback trying to recover from a lost year where all the promise on display from his rookie year disappeared in a heap of bad coaching and poor play.
But let’s say O’Brien gets Jones back on track, and back to utilizing what Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner would call Jones’ “super powers;” namely his ability to quickly decipher defenses, to throw the ball accurately, and his intelligence.
That would be a start toward something better, and closing the gap. But it doesn’t totally solve the problem. There are other issues, starting with the offensive line.
The Chiefs’ O-line, led by former Patriots guard Joe Thuney, kept a gimpy Mahomes clean all night. While the Eagles were touted as having the best defensive line in football, Mahomes wasn’t sacked in the Super Bowl. He was rarely hurried when he dropped back to pass.
Give Mahomes a clean pocket, and he’s deadly.
Jones needs to experience the same type of protection, because when he was facing a pass rush this past season, which was often, he turned into a puddle. The Patriots have brought in a new offensive line coach in Adrian Klemm. Former offensive line legend Dante Scarnecchia is high on him, so that’s a plus.
Klemm, however, still needs talent to make it work, and make Jones a little more secure in the pocket. It starts at tackle. Whether via free agency or the draft — Klemm should have a good handle on the college talent having spent most of his time coaching at that level — the line can no longer specialize in getting the quarterback killed and giving him happy feet.
Obviously, it would also help if the Patriots went with a blocking scheme that suited the personnel, instead of trying to force an outside zone running scheme that didn’t jive with many of its players. But you get the picture.
As for better weapons, that’s been a constant complaint in recent years.
Maybe Brady in his day, or Mahomes in the present day, don’t need to have a collection of elite receivers to excel and win because they have the ability to elevate those around them, but it would certainly help Jones.
It’s been a boost to Hurts, and others, who have hit another level thanks to having a bevy of receiving talent. The Patriots’ current group is decent, but it’s still lacking game-changing talent.
Perhaps Tyquan Thornton improves in Year 2, Kendrick Bourne looks more like the Bourne of 2021 and the tight ends become more of a threat with O’Brien running the offense. But losing Jakobi Meyers in free agency won’t help the cause.
And even if they resign Meyers, they still need more.
Like Klemm, perhaps O’Brien will have input in the draft, given he has a pretty good beat on college receivers, especially those in the SEC after coaching at Alabama the past two years. Or maybe, Bill Belichick will dip into free agency or make a trade for a top gun who actually scares a defense.
Whatever the case, it should be obvious to Belichick what the NFL has become, and what he needs to do to once again compete.
The Chiefs actually resembled many Patriots championship teams with their winning formula Sunday night: elite quarterback play, stellar halftime adjustments by the coaching staff, keen situational awareness by the players and a key special teams contribution.
While the Pats might not be able to replicate life with Brady, they can improve and already have started to make changes.
In fact, Patriots owner Robert Kraft, appearing on a FOX business show Friday, seemed pretty pleased with the offseason thus far, one he’s had a hand in shaping.
“I think bringing in Bill O’Brien has been a big plus for our franchise,” he said. “I’m very excited about our team for next year.”
He may be excited, but after watching the Super Bowl, he clearly needs more than O’Brien to get the offense on the same competitive playing field with the league’s finest. The Patriots’ work is only getting started.