These two truths can co-exist. The Chiefs thrived on Tyreek Hill’s freak athleticism during scramble drills, and Patrick Mahomes can extend plays and navigate through a defense when under pressure.
We thought after the last few years watching Mahomes slice through defenses when facing a blitz, Arizona Cardinals defensive coordinator Vance Joseph wouldn’t rely on it to get his defense out on top on Sunday. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. Even Next Gen Stats let us know that throughout Mahomes career, he has a +206.1 passing EPA vs the blitz, since 2018.
Andy Reid after the game, when asked about Arizona Cardinals defensive coordinator Vance Joseph blitzing, and how well Mahomes does against the blitz: “I joke about this, but it’s true he brings everybody but the popcorn vendor. He’s going to bring it from all over the place, and you better be sharp. [Mahomes] was directing everybody to get them going in the right direction, then Pat doing the same thing. I thought they did a nice job with that. [Joseph] is one heck of a coordinator. He’s very aggressive.”
So, the question is, how did Mahomes adjust to whatever it was the Cardinals were trying to accomplish? Let’s go to the film!