|
The last two rounds of the playoffs have been classic, and hopefully it will continue in 2 weeks during Super Bowl LVI. In the meantime, just some observations from the game last week.
1) Mahomes just appeared….off….in the 2nd half of that game.
OK, hear me out. Was listening to a podcast with Colin Cowherd and RGIII, and something interesting was brought up that kind of answers some of the odd play earlier this season by Mahomes and in the 2nd half of this game. One of the concerns teams had about Mahomes coming out of college was his mechanics; despite having an ungodly arm, the odd angles he uses to throw the ball led some teams to worry about whether it could lead to accuracy issues, and during a 6 game stretch this season, Mahomes was uncharacteristically off. The question was posed about whether Mahomes had the “yips” in that 2nd half; just off enough that, when combined with the changes in the Bengals defense gave Cincy the window it needed to pull off the comeback. Yes, Burrow is a stud and yes, the Bengals got pressure on Mahomes, but it might be worth looking at the tape a bit and seeing if Mahomes might be shooting his own foot just a smidge. Tom Brady perfected his mechanics midway through his career, and the additional arm strength allowed him to have success into his 40's.
2) Burrow has ice in his veins, and has taken the Bengals to the brink of their first title.
I know I have gushed quite a bit about Joe Burrow, but besides looking like a grown up version of Kevin McAllister from Home Alone fame, he really is resembling another famous Joe who took teams to Super Bowls. It is far too early in his career to fit Burrow for a gold jacket, but his moxy and attitude do compare favorably to Montana, in just how he seems to do best when the situation calls for it. Now, as well as he played, if Mahomes hadn’t let up just a bit, I don’t think the Bengals would have won, but the fact remains that Mahomes and the Chiefs did take their foot off the gas in the 2nd half, and that allowed Burrow to add to his already growing legend and look cool while doing it.
3) Just what in the heck was that at the end of the 1st half at the goal line?
In another edition of dumb coaching decisions, the Chiefs are up 21-10, and are looking to score before halftime, where the Chiefs are lined up to get the ball to start the 3rd quarter. Kansas City drives 80 yards and gets to the Cincinnati 1 yard line with 9 seconds left. After an incomplete pass and only 5 seconds left, Andy Reid decides to put all the chips on red, only to get shut down. I get going for it when you are down, but kicking the FG before half puts the Chiefs up by 14, swings momentum back their way, and maybe changes the complexion of the 2nd half. Giving up points almost always comes back to bite you.
4) The 49ers have some interesting decisions to make during the off-season
Jimmy Garappolo presents the 49ers a significant dilemma this coming off-season; they spent 3 first round picks to secure the services of Trey Lance, whom they project will become the face of San Francisco for seasons to come. Now, Garappolo has only played 2 fullish seasons, but both of those seasons took San Fran to the NFC Championship game, and the first season, to the Super Bowl. While his play has been spotty at best, the team seems to love Jimmy G., and Shanahan seems to have hitched his wagon to a guy who with only 19 games of non-FCS experience. Trey Lance had better show why he was worth the faith Lynch and Shanahan put in him.
5) Matthew Stafford is a game away from proving his detractors wrong.
Now, on paper, this really shouldn’t be a close game; if skill were sandwiches, the Rams would own a deli. But for some reason, the Rams seem to take these periodic breaks where they don’t seem to put it all together, and allow teams to stay in games they have no business being in. The Rams decided to play from behind for a change, and in the 4th quarter, came back to pull off the win and salvage their season. Make no bones about it; this team is built to win now, and Stafford is one win away from tossing the gorilla off his back. Cincinnati has no one who can handle Aaron Donald and Von Miller, but Stafford has the opportunity to use the best wide receiver in the game in Cooper Kupp, and his recent toy in OBJ, and finally climb the mountain top. The Rams should be able to win this game by 3 scores, but if they decide to continue allowing teams to come back, Cincy and Burrow can make the Rams pay and lose that precious window to become champions.
|