Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes called on a learning moment from the 2018 preseason during Super Bowl LIV. It helped him in a defining play, his 38-yard pass to WR Sammy Watkins, which helped set up the go-ahead touchdown for the Chiefs.
During the Super Bowl LIV watch party on Wednesday, Mahomes shared this story. First, he had immense praise for Watkins’ play throughout the season and through the Super Bowl.
“Obviously, Sammy [Watkins] was the hidden hero all season long, especially in the playoffs,” Mahomes began. “If you look at his stats in the playoffs the last two years, it’s pretty remarkable how he steps up whenever the big games happen. You see this play, we have a good protection on. It’s a 7-man protection. They bring the pressure and it puts Sammy in a 1-on-1 on the backside and I just trusted him to make the play — him to get by a great corner in Richard Sherman and he did. I put it out there and he made a great play.”
This play might not have gone as smoothly for the Chiefs if it hadn’t been from a preseason interception that Mahomes threw against the Atlanta Falcons in 2018. Watkins was the target on a similar route concept, with an inside release, but the play ended much differently.
“It’s actually funny,” Mahomes continued. “It’s a play that, my first year, he did the exact same release inside, which you’re really not supposed to do on this play. And I throw it in the Atlanta Falcons game in the preseason and it gets intercepted. I remember the coaches saying, ‘If he releases like that don’t throw it.’ I thought about it and I was like, ‘Man he released, he got open again, I’m going to throw it again.’ And it worked out this time.”
Now if Mahomes had listened to his coaches he might not have thrown the ball to Watkins in the Super Bowl because of that inside release. It was the subtle differences between these two plays that made all the difference. Watkins had more separation on Richard Sherman, so Mahomes could lead the ball outside and away from the safety. Watkins didn’t have that separation in the Falcons game and leading the ball outside would have given the cornerback a shot at the interception.
Additionally, the 49ers tried to disguise their coverage, while the Falcons played single-high all the way. They had the Jimmie Ward moving pre-snap and breaking away from the play. Damontae Kazee was centerfield and broke on the ball in Atlanta before it was thrown. Jimmie Ward doesn’t get his hips flipped and break on the ball until it’s already out of Mahomes’ hands.
Mahomes essentially learned what he could and couldn’t get away with on this play in the 2018 preseason and it stuck with him. It’s fun to see interceptions lead to these types of pivotal moments because everyone made such a fuss about Mahomes’ interceptions during training camp and the preseason in 2018. As it turns out, they’re a crucial part of his process when it comes to learning his own limitations.
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