Patrick Mahomes’ diving near-TD pass was a microcosm of Chiefs’ Super Bowl 55 loss

Patrick Mahomes’ physique, for the briefest of moments, was parallel to the Raymond James Stadium grass. It was at that on the spot that he wanted to unleash a move, too, so as to keep away from a sack.

Like possibly solely Mahomes may, he did not simply throw the ball. He uncorked a rocket of a sidearm move 30 yards downfield, heading proper towards the entrance line of the top zone. Ready there was operating again Darrel Williams. As an alternative of grabbing a landing, one that might’ve been one of many craziest in Tremendous Bowl historical past, Williams let the ball slip by his arms and bounce proper off his facemask.

In some ways, that Mahomes fourth-down incompletion summed up the Chiefs’ night time in a 31-9 loss to the Buccaneers in Tremendous Bowl 55, a defeat during which Mahomes didn’t throw a TD for the fifth time in his NFL profession. Mahomes was virtually instantly pressured by the Buccaneers’ dominant defensive entrance. Regardless of the near-constant warmth, Mahomes scrambled and made one thing out of nothing. However even after Mahomes did every part he may, his pass-catcher let him down. It was removed from the one time.

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The drops began early. The Buccaneers took a 7-3 lead on a late first quarter landing from Rob Gronkowski, and the Chiefs had an opportunity to reply. Mahomes evaded strain on third down earlier than letting an off-balance toss go towards Kelce. The usually sure-handed tight finish dropped it. Tyreek Hill had a drive-killing drop within the first half, too.

Mahomes wanted his receivers to choose him up due to how a lot he was pressured to go away the pocket. The Chiefs have been down their beginning proper deal with, Mitchell Schwartz, because the first half of the season, however left deal with Eric Fisher injured his Achilles within the AFC title recreation and missed the Tremendous Bowl, too. Backup linemen weren’t the reply for Tampa Bay’s robust move rush.

Ndamukong Suh acquired 1.5 sacks. Shaq Barrett added 1.0, and Vita Vea helped Suh on a mixed sack. However it was to Mahomes’ credit score that he was solely sacked thrice. He near-constantly left the pocket in pursuit of greener pastures, usually releasing a throw on the final attainable on the spot from a place on the sector Tom Brady did not have to even contemplate all recreation. Mahomes ended up pressured on 29-of-56 dropbacks, probably the most in Tremendous Bowl historical past, according to ESPN.

Try this graphic. It exhibits the place quarterbacks had been pressured to maneuver on move performs. Mahomes’ strains are the highest, mainly from sideline to sideline. Brady’s are only a tiny in-the-pocket clump.

Mahomes, for mainly his complete soccer life, has been in a position to create performs that different quarterbacks would not dream of. It is how he gained NFL MVP in 2018 and Tremendous Bowl MVP in February 2020 because the Chiefs beat the 49ers. Even beneath strain, Mahomes could make good issues occur.

In opposition to the Buccaneers, Mahomes was beneath much more strain than regular. On an early incompletion, Barrett got here sprinting into the backfield untouched by a blocker, and it did not get higher from there. By the top of the sport, Mahomes may solely be bailed out from one other sack by an enormous hit to his head that resulted in a penalty flag. 

The Chiefs wanted just one or two of these magical Mahomes moments to show into completions for the sport’s momentum to begin swinging. Even that Williams drop got here early within the fourth quarter. A rating there would’ve made it a two-possession recreation (with some two-point conversions concerned). Hope was nonetheless within the playing cards at that time.

As an alternative, goals of a repeat bounced away because the ball bounced off Williams’ facemask. Mahomes, like he so usually does, had executed every part he may to provide the Chiefs an opportunity. The one distinction was this time, preventing extra of an uphill battle than regular, it wasn’t almost sufficient.