Week 3 - Around the NFL

[HappyDays]

6 minutes ago, BigDingus said:

 

100% agree.

 

And as they've shown every year, even when they're not playing well, they still win anyway. Even if I see Mahomes throw multiple INTs every week, I'm not passing judgement until it starts to dramatically affect their record. They're reminding me of the early 2000's Lakers, showing signs of rust or weakness during the season, then playoffs come around & they hit a different gear.

 

I wouldn't say their offense hit a different gear in the playoffs last year. Well, they did against us. Enough has been said about that. But in the AFCCG they got shut out in the 2nd half and in the Super Bowl they only scored 3 points in the 1st half, and started the 2nd half with a bad INT that gave the 49ers the ball at midfield. It was not smooth sailing by any stretch of the imagination.

 

The Chiefs have been playing small ball since they traded Tyreek Hill. I don't remember the exact stat but I remember seeing last year that Mahomes had like 1 or 2 deep TDs in 2022 and 2023 combined. And I know his average air yards per TD pass was the lowest in the league those seasons, below 5 yards in each.

 

Drafting Worthy and signing Hollywood Brown was likely an attempt to get back to their explosive passing days, but with Brown's injury and Worthy not being ready for a big role they aren't going to suddenly become that style of offense. The personnel dictates the style. So they will run up the middle and funnel the ball a ton to Rashee Rice because that's what works for their personnel.

[RoscoeParrish]

1 minute ago, DapperCam said:

The Pats also went 9 seasons between Super Bowl wins during their dynasty. I don't think anybody is claiming the Chiefs aren't going to make the playoffs (they are obviously going to run away with their division), but they don't look SB-worthy.

You incredibly proved the point exactly.

 

”We’re into Cincinnati” was born of the Pats going 2-2 in September, with them getting blown out by 30 points in primetime vs the Chiefs. It was when folks hilariously claimed they were no longer “SB-worthy.”

 

They went on to play in 4 of the next 5 SB’s and won 3 of them. 

[GoBills808]

2 minutes ago, DapperCam said:

The Pats also went 9 seasons between Super Bowl wins during their dynasty. I don't think anybody is claiming the Chiefs aren't going to make the playoffs (they are obviously going to run away with their division), but they don't look SB-worthy.

You know how I know the Chiefs are impressive

 

because they can be 3-0 vs at least two playoff teams w Mahomes playing some of the worst ball of his career and people are saying they aren't impressive😂😂

[GunnerBill]

3 minutes ago, DapperCam said:

The Pats also went 9 seasons between Super Bowl wins during their dynasty. I don't think anybody is claiming the Chiefs aren't going to make the playoffs (they are obviously going to run away with their division), but they don't look SB-worthy.

 

See I don't agree with this. They can win the Superbowl in the small ball offense and stout, opportunistic defense. I know that because they just did it last season. It is still gonna take a very good team to beat them. I'm just not sure how many teams they are gonna blow out on route.

[Low Positive]

We are going on two years straight with the Chiefs winning due to their defense with fans not recognizing this. 

[Success]

The Chiefs are absolutely still the team to beat - in the AFC, and overall.

 

I have to tip my cap, while also shaking my fists at the sky.  In some ways, it's more impressive to win like they have so far this season than to just blow teams out of the water.

 

 

[DapperCam]

5 minutes ago, RoscoeParrish said:

You incredibly proved the point exactly.

 

”We’re into Cincinnati” was born of the Pats going 2-2 in September, with them getting blown out by 30 points in primetime vs the Chiefs. It was when folks hilariously claimed they were no longer “SB-worthy.”

 

They went on to play in 4 of the next 5 SB’s and won 3 of them. 

I guess we'll see. If they continue to look like this I doubt it. If they are able to get better play out of their tackles and playmakers then all bets are off. They are depending on rookies for pretty key positions (starting LT and boundary WR).

Edited 2 hours ago by DapperCam

[Low Positive]

1 minute ago, Success said:

The Chiefs are absolutely still the team to beat - in the AFC, and overall.

 

I have to tip my cap, while also shaking my fists at the sky.  In some ways, it's more impressive to win like they have so far this season than to just blow teams out of the water.

 

 

That’s what winning with D looks like. The best Pats teams were D first too.

[BigDingus]

Just now, HappyDays said:

 

I wouldn't say their offense hit a different gear in the playoffs last year. Well, they did against us. Enough has been said about that. But in the AFCCG they got shut out in the 2nd half and in the Super Bowl they only scored 3 points in the 1st half, and started the 2nd half with a bad INT that gave the 49ers the ball at midfield. It was not smooth sailing by any stretch of the imagination.

 

The Chiefs have been playing small ball since they traded Tyreek Hill. I don't remember the exact stat but I remember seeing last year that Mahomes had like 1 or 2 deep TDs in 2022 and 2023 combined. And I know his average air yards per TD pass was the lowest in the league those seasons, below 5 yards in each.

 

Drafting Worthy and signing Hollywood Brown was likely an attempt to get back to their explosive passing days, but with Brown's injury and Worthy not being ready for a big role they aren't going to suddenly become that style of offense. The personnel dictates the style. So they will run up the middle and funnel the ball a ton to Rashee Rice because that's what works for their personnel.

 

True, though I meant more in that they weren't hurting themselves anymore & they got key players involved again.

 

Kelce suddenly looked like old Kelce, and Rashee Rice looked like a veteran. Mahomes stopped throwing INTs almost altogether, and they didn't have the drops or costly penalties they had throughout the season. They lacked the big-play explosiveness of old Chiefs teams, but they had been moving away from that for a while.

 

Even with Worthy & Brown, I still expect to see a lot of passes behind the LOS & short passes trying to get guys in open space (kind of like what we're doing now). It seems like most teams are aiming for something like that, as defenses around the league are playing to keep everything in front of them & not get beat over the top.

 

The Chiefs can keep struggling all year, but come playoff time, I don't expect that to continue. The worst they've ever finished in the Mahomes era is the AFCCG. That's absolutely crazy. Until I see otherwise, I expect them to make it that far again, and I'm just hoping the Bills will be healthier the next time we meet in the playoffs.

[GoBills808]

4 minutes ago, Low Positive said:

We are going on two years straight with the Chiefs winning due to their defense with fans not recognizing this. 

Pretty sure everybody recognizes this

[RoscoeParrish]

4 minutes ago, HappyDays said:

 

I wouldn't say their offense hit a different gear in the playoffs last year. Well, they did against us. Enough has been said about that. But in the AFCCG they got shut out in the 2nd half and in the Super Bowl they only scored 3 points in the 1st half, and started the 2nd half with a bad INT that gave the 49ers the ball at midfield. It was not smooth sailing by any stretch of the imagination.

 

The Chiefs have been playing small ball since they traded Tyreek Hill. I don't remember the exact stat but I remember seeing last year that Mahomes had like 1 or 2 deep TDs in 2022 and 2023 combined. And I know his average air yards per TD pass was the lowest in the league those seasons, below 5 yards in each.

 

Drafting Worthy and signing Hollywood Brown was likely an attempt to get back to their explosive passing days, but with Brown's injury and Worthy not being ready for a big role they aren't going to suddenly become that style of offense. The personnel dictates the style. So they will run up the middle and funnel the ball a ton to Rashee Rice because that's what works for their personnel.

Meh, the Chiefs put up 400 yards on the Dolphins and 455 on the Niners after averaging 350 in the regular season.
 

Really the only game they played keep away last year was the Ravens and that was because Lamar consistently came up small. 
 

And if you include the Bills game, they basically outperformed their regular season offense in 3/4 playoff games, including the SB.

[BigDingus]

7 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

 

The thing is they were still a small ball offense even in the playoffs last year. They let an undermanned Bills team hang around and could have lost. They beat the Ravens scoring 17 and basically relying on their redzone defense and then they were small ball in the Superbowl too but for one bomb to Hardman. 

 

While I think the Chiefs can improve on what they are doing now I am not sure that is by playing differently so much as it is just doing small ball better. 

 

Exactly. I think the Chiefs of old aren't coming back (for the most part). They're all about small ball, dinking & dunking. When Mahomes throws downfield, they're turning it over more often than in the past. But last year he was also turning it over more than ever, only this time without the TDs to go along with the turnovers. Didn't matter in the end. They still won the SB.

[HappyDays]

Also worth mentioning that having an elite FG kicker makes small ball a viable option, especially with starting field position now defaulting to the 30 yard line. They need to execute like five plays and they are guaranteed 3 points on every drive, and they are very likely to win or at least tie every game if they have the ball last.

 

It is an offensive philosophy that has by and large not been very successful for most teams in recent years, but the Chiefs have proven they have the right player and coach ingredients in all three phases to execute it all the way to Super Bowl wins.

[RoscoeParrish]

4 minutes ago, DapperCam said:

I guess we'll see. If they continue to look like this I doubt it. If they are able to get better play out of their tackles and playmakers then all bets are off. They are depending on rookies for pretty key positions (starting LT and boundary WR).

At a certain point, it becomes silly to be against a team NOT being able to look better. That’s the point @GoBills808 keeps making. 
 

We all expect Keon to look better in November than now. The Chiefs likely feel the same about Worthy. Kelce looked on the edge of finished last regular season and exploded in the postseason. 
 

The Chiefs, with their resume, are going to be considered “not SB-worthy” on the day they either miss the playoffs or get knocked out of the postseason by an inferior opponent. They’ve earned that benefit of the doubt, just like the Pats did.

[mikemac2001]

52 minutes ago, gonzo1105 said:

Chiefs win close games and it’s not just Mahomes. Their D steps up a lot the last couple of years 

There DC should be a head coach but for some reason doesn’t or isn’t 

 

they have the best coaching staff in the league 

 

add in the money there players bring in on the side it’s just crazy how KC is favored 

[GoBills808]

2 minutes ago, RoscoeParrish said:

At a certain point, it becomes silly to be against a team NOT being able to look better. That’s the point @GoBills808 keeps making. 
 

We all expect Keon to look better in November than now. The Chiefs likely feel the same about Worthy. Kelce looked on the edge of finished last regular season and exploded in the postseason. 
 

The Chiefs, with their resume, are going to be considered “not SB-worthy” on the day they either miss the playoffs or get knocked out of the postseason by an inferior opponent. They’ve earned that benefit of the doubt, just like the Pats did.

Every single person in their building is focused on the 3 peat. It's not just legacy defining... If it happens they become the undisputed greatest to ever do it. They're operating on a different level from the rest of the league rn

 

Arguing about how they look through the first 3 weeks of the regular season is silly

[DapperCam]

10 minutes ago, HappyDays said:

Also worth mentioning that having an elite FG kicker makes small ball a viable option, especially with starting field position now defaulting to the 30 yard line. They need to execute like five plays and they are guaranteed 3 points on every drive, and they are very likely to win or at least tie every game if they have the ball last.

 

It is an offensive philosophy that has by and large not been very successful for most teams in recent years, but the Chiefs have proven they have the right player and coach ingredients in all three phases to execute it all the way to Super Bowl wins.

The problem with small ball is that the NFL is so random. One weird bounce the past 3 weeks and the Chiefs have one or more loss. If you have a 2 score lead, or at least a 7 point lead then you are no longer at the mercy of the bad bounce. In fact, the Chiefs opponents so far have been the victims of the bad bounce (Likely toe out of bounds, 4th and forever DPI, blatant DPI in the endzone missed). I don't think any team really wants to play small ball unless they have to due to their personnel. 

[RoscoeParrish]

5 minutes ago, mikemac2001 said:

There DC should be a head coach but for some reason doesn’t or isn’t 

 

they have the best coaching staff in the league 

 

add in the money there players bring in on the side it’s just crazy how KC is favored 

He’s already tried and failed to be an HC in the NFL.

 

Combine that with defensive guys being a dying breed at HC, and previously fired defensive guys virtually nonexistent at HC and that’s why he ain’t going anywhere.

[Chandler#81]

 

[SoTier]

5 hours ago, strive_for_five_guy said:

Bryce Young must be even worse than everyone’s been thinking…

 

I think that Young probably should have been on the bench at least part of last season.  I think he's lost confidence in himself, and his teammates have lost confidence in him because he doesn't seem to know what he's doing. 

 

I'm not a fan of just throwing a rookie QB, even a #1 overall pick, into the fire, which seems to be what most coaches like to do these days.  OTJ training doesn't work well if the student doesn't have enough of an understanding of the pro game concepts to have at least some success.   I think that rookie QBs like CJ Stroud are the exceptions; most will benefit from sitting on the bench and observing for at least a while as rookies. Mahomes spent almost all of his rookie season on the bench.  Allen came back much a much better QB after an injury forced him to the bench for a several games.

 

Hopefully, Young benefits from sitting on the bench for a while and shines when he gets another opportunity.