Kansas Metropolis Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is one of the best quarterback in soccer proper now. He might retire after this season and coast into the Professional Soccer Corridor of Fame as a primary poll induction.
He’s the muse of the group and the only largest motive they’ve performed in a minimum of the AFC Championship recreation in each season that he has been a beginning quarterback.
All of that’s true.
Additionally it is true that his efficiency within the Chiefs’ Tremendous Bowl LIX loss to the Philadelphia Eagles was one of many worst single-game performances of his profession.
It was not essentially his fault, both.
General, Mahomes’ numbers don’t look horrible. He threw for 257 yards, three touchdowns and had a passer ranking of 95.7. Most quarterbacks would like to have that form of a efficiency within the Tremendous Bowl. It would even be the kind of numbers that usually produce a win.
However these numbers are terribly deceptive. Nearly all of his yards, and all three of his touchdowns, got here late within the recreation after the Eagles had already constructed up a 34-0 lead. Late within the fourth quarter it was a 40-6 recreation within the remaining seven minutes when the Chiefs lastly began to stack up some yards and factors towards an Eagles protection that was enjoying softer coverages and already knew it had the sport comfortably received.
Throw out the ultimate numbers and simply deal with what really occurred on Sunday night time.
Whereas Mahomes threw three touchdowns, he additionally turned the ball over thrice, together with a dreadful pick-six to Cooper DeJean to place the Chiefs right into a 17-0 gap, and an excellent worse interception simply earlier than halftime that helped make it a 24-0 recreation.
They have been dangerous selections, worse throws, and simply highlighted how off Mahomes and the Chiefs offense was from the very starting of the sport.
The most important motive they have been off all night time? They bought manhandled by the Eagles protection.
Mahomes was beneath strain on greater than half of his drop backs, was sacked six instances and by no means appeared comfy within the pocket. It was a surprising show provided that the Eagles didn’t run a single blitz all night time, and persistently relied on a four-man go rush.
On the uncommon event that Mahomes was in a position to get a throw off, the chemistry along with his large receivers appeared off, whereas in addition they struggled to make performs. That was apparent on a go within the third quarter when Mahomes had a large open DeAndre Hopkins in the midst of the sphere for what an enormous achieve, solely to have him drop the soccer.
Your complete efficiency, from a workforce perspective, was very paying homage to the Chiefs’ Tremendous Bowl LV loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers through the 2020 season when Mahomes was continuously on the run enjoying behind a nasty offensive line. This yr’s Chiefs line was higher than that group, however they have been merely overmatched by a superior Eagles workforce.
The Chiefs’ large receivers have been a difficulty for 2 years now, however they’ve been in a position to overcome it due to Mahomes’ magic.
A uncommon off night time from Mahomes, and a nasty matchup towards a dominant Eagles protection, made it unimaginable for that recipe to work once more on Sunday.
Mahomes was dangerous. The workforce round him was dangerous. It was the improper night time for all of that to occur for the Chiefs.
