Patrick Mahomes Week 5 Film Review: something improved and something that needs improvement

This is part three of a three-part weekly film analysis on the performance of Patrick Mahomes.

Part one here, part two here.

Something improved

The most fun part about watching Mahomes is knowing and seeing that he’s just getting started and continues to improve on a weekly basis. The reps are going to bring plenty of experience and it seems as though he is maximizing every new opportunity and milking as much intel out of each play as he can.

Over time, as he continues to get more and more thrown at him, you’re seeing his ability to process plays more quickly. His preparation during the week and experience he’s gaining is allowing him to work through progressions quicker every week. He’s prepared for the coverages he’ll see and is able to get off routes in his progression quickly because of his understanding of how the defense is playing him.

He’s aware of coverage structure and knows who should be there and who shouldn’t. Every week, we see more confidence to throw to voids. Some of the things he’s showed in this cut-up of plays from Jacksonville:

• Play One (first two shots); Understanding coverage and knowing where the void will be for Kelce. Throws with anticipation and confidence, even though it’s ultimately incomplete.
• Play Two: Working through his progression on the boot, knowing he has Conley working to him from the backside of the play, Smith clears and he has space to deliver the ball. Also great use of a high elbow to keep the short throw over the top of the defender.
• Play Three: With the corner cleared, knowing he has that underneath defender caught in a “can’t be right” situation. The way the defender started driving on the route to the flats makes me think Mahomes might have manipulated the coverage.
• Play Four: Understanding coverage and leverage, knowing that if the ball is on time and accurate on the out route, the defender doesn’t have a chance. Good velocity to deliver the ball in time for an easy catch.

Mahomes is seeing the field well and processing the plays at a very high level that will only grow over time. There is a lot to be excited about.

Needs improvement

Mahomes talked about what went wrong with this throw after the game.

He said he over-strided. It’s a common issue for players with pitching backgrounds. He’s mentioned it throughout training camp and after games, and it seems like a focal point for him from a mechanical perspective.

Players with backgrounds as a pitcher are used to making long extensions when delivering pitches. I suffered that, going back and forth between football and baseball in my college career. It takes time to completely eliminate those learned movements and in certain situations, you sometimes lean on those old habits. Over-striding can lead to timing thrown off on your delivery and more importantly affect your release point. Balls tend to sail when you over-stride. You’re also allowing more time for things to break down mechanically on the delivery of the ball. You never want a bail to sail in the middle of the field, and that’s obviously what happened on Sunday. It was a bad time for that mechanical breakdown.

It will take more reps to eliminate it completely, but it rarely rears its ugly head, but it seems like something he’s mindful of. I don’t anticipate it being a continual issue, but you see minor relapses at times. Hopefully, we don’t see it result in any more turnovers moving forward.

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