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Football Outsiders: How will Patrick Mahomes handle corner and safety blitzes?

Exploring how Mahomes will handle the heat in 2018.

NFL: Houston Texans at Kansas City Chiefs Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Arrowhead Pride had the opportunity to ask Football Outsiders five questions about the upcoming season. This week, we’ll talk about all five and provide our reactions.


What is Patrick Mahomes’ efficiency against safety/CAT blitzes?

Blitzing from the secondary is usually most effective versus quarterbacks who do not take proper inventory during their pre-snap process. Jared Goff, for example, is not one to take careful inventory of incoming blitzes before the snap, and that was especially true as a rookie when the New England Patriots got him on a cornerback blitz . . . from the wide side of the field. That should not be an issue with Mahomes. While at Texas Tech, Mahomes often played out of four- and five-wide sets that required him to be heads up about coverage shells, leverage, and the defense’s intentions. Considering Mahomes was doing all that behind a horrid Texas Tech offensive line, Mahomes became rather used to making quick decisions with a bevy of information at hand while under pressure. Defenses will be smarter about when and how to blitz via the secondary in the NFL, but Mahomes has the know-how and physical tools to handle it well.

My reaction: I tend to agree with this response to our question. Mahomes has been consistently able to understand where pressure can come from and how it can be beaten. For instance, check out this play I wrote about in January.

The offseason and training camp has been spent getting Mahomes exposed to as many different looks as possible. They want to get him immersed in pressures and protections. The reps he got from empty look should give him a baseline on some of the pressures from secondary pressures. With him getting the kitchen sink thrown at him throughout the offseason, I expect him to respond well.


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