The Houston Texans have a nearly impossible task ahead of them in their divisional round matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs. Stopping Patrick Mahomes is something that every team tries to do and very few succeed.
Mahomes is arguably the best quarterback of all-time already. At the very least, he is the pick for most when it comes to being the No. 2 quarterback of all-time.
DeMeco Ryans and company are going to have bring everything they have. They need the pass rush to get to Mahomes and the need the secondary to cover at an elite level and force a turnover or two.
It’s easy to say all of the words, but stopping Mahomes isn’t something that has happened very often. That is the biggest part of the reason that the Chiefs are the two-time defending champions.
Heading into the game, Ryans spoke out about a key to defending Mahomes. The Texans will have their hands full, but Ryans’ statement is very good advice and a great way to game plan.
“You have to be sticky in coverage,” Ryans said “You think you cover guys once, and the play’s still going on, and you have to look to cover them twice. We know his escapability, not just him running the ball but also the threat of the run and him still being able to keep his eyes down field and make passes.”
Throughout the entire NFL, Mahomes is the best at making something out of nothing. Even when a defense has him lined up in the backfield, he finds ways to evade and make a play.
Ryans’ comment of “cover them twice” is exactly right. Houston defensive backs can never count a play as over until the whistle blows.
Far too often, defenses facing Mahomes have stopped playing too early. As Mahomes gets outside of the pocket, a receiver comes open at the last moment. If the Texans are going to win this game, they can’t allow that to happen.
During their Wild Card game, Houston’s defense was elite. They got after the quarterback and the secondary was insanely good in coverage.
More of the same will have to be seen from the Texans in this matchup. Beating Mahomes is much more difficult than beating Justin Herbert.
Hopefully, the players are ready for the challenge. Ryans has the right frame of mind about how to defend against Mahomes, but the players need to execute his game plan perfectly to come out on top.
