Brady, Belichick and the Pats run Mahomes, Reid and the Chiefs in OT

The good, bad and ugly of the AFC Championship game

The good, bad and ugly of the AFC Championship game
Patriots web site

In the matchup of the old versus young, we saw the oldhead prevail as the Patriots beat the Chiefs 37-31 in overtime. Here's how I saw things play out:

The Good

-Bill Belichick found what worked best and exploited it. He made Pat Mahomes uncomfortable in the pocket by getting pressure up the middle, while also maintaining containment on the outside. Four sacks for 46 yards lost, mostly in the first half, was enough to frustrate the Chiefs' offense and help the Pats build a lead. But…

-…Andy Reid and Mahomes have weapons to combat whatever is thrown at them. The signing of running back Damien Williams midseason has proven to be their answer for losing Kareem Hunt due to stupidity. Mahomes/Reid is similar to the Brett Favre/Mike Holmgren combo in that you have a good, young quarterback with a good play calling coach.

-Tom Brady is the GOAT. There's no more arguing or debate. Put it to rest please. We all must learn to appreciate greatness when we see it happening, and the Brady/Belichek era of what they're doing is great.

The Bad

-Brady made an uncharacteristic red zone interception. In the second quarter, he threw a pass off target that Chief's linebacker Reggie Ragland picked off. Rob Gronkowski was running a crossing route off play action. He wasn't wide open, but the pass should've been thrown higher and more towards the back of the end zone.

-Speaking of Gronk, he went 50-plus minutes in between catches. From the 12:28 mark of the first quarter to the 5:28 mark of the fourth quarter, the Chiefs defense held him in check. Being such a large part of what the Pats are able to do on offense, it helped the Chiefs get back into the game.

-The Chiefs defense couldn't hold up in overtime. They played up, or down, to the level of their competition up until when it counted most. In overtime, they never gave their offense a chance to try to win the game.

The Ugly

-Chiefs' safety Eric Berry was clearly playing injured. He was a shell of his former All-Pro self. On the Patriots' touchdown just before halftime, his zone assignment was a short zone in the middle of the field. He barely moved and the bulk of the action was nowhere near his zone. He also gave up a 25-yard completion to Gronk with 54 seconds left in the game that put the Pats in touchdown range. Word is that he'll need surgery on the heel in the offseason.

- The Chiefs were held scoreless in the first half. They totaled 32 yards of offense in the first half which 43 yards less than Patriot running back Sony Michel had rushing in the same time frame. All season, we've never seen this Chiefs team held in check like this for that extended period of time.

-Brady threw two interceptions in this game. Both came with them ahead by one score, but only one turned into points for the Chiefs. Typically when the Chiefs are given extra possessions, they're able to turn them into points and wins.

The Super Bowl in this day and age wouldn't be complete if the Patriots weren't in the mix. The Chiefs gave it their best shot, but couldn't pull off the win. As much as people would love to see the Patriots dynasty fall to pieces, it isn't time yet. A matchup with the Rams looms. Super Bowl 53 is set and we get another young versus old matchup.

patriotsnfl

Most Popular

SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome

Listen Live

ESPN Houston 97.5 FM
The Texans will look to get back on track this Sunday against the Colts. Composite Getty Image.

C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans are looking for answers after their passing game couldn’t get going in a loss to the Green Bay Packers.

Houston’s passing attack had been a strength all season, and the Texans ranked fifth in yards passing per game through their first six games. But on Sunday at Lambeau Field, Stroud was limited to a career-low 86 yards in the 24-22 loss, which snapped a three-game winning streak.

Stroud was 10 of 21 and didn’t have a touchdown pass for the first time this season. The second-year player was under duress for much of the day and was sacked four times and hit seven other times.

“We have to go back to the drawing board and see what those issues were,” coach DeMeco Ryans said. “As we watch the film, we’ll see what happened, starting for me the communication and just guys being on the details of the job.”

The Texans scored a season-high 41 points in a win over New England a week earlier in which Stroud threw a season-best three touchdown passes despite being without star receiver Nico Collins.

They were unable to replicate that success Sunday with Collins out for the second of at least four games after a hamstring injury landed him on injured reserve.

Stefon Diggs led the team with five receptions against the Packers, but they only amounted to 23 yards. Tank Dell, who the Texans expected to step up with Collins out, was targeted four times but didn’t have a catch.

Stroud discussed the importance of getting Dell more involved in the offense.

“We have to find a way to try and get him the rock early and often and then go from there,” he said. “It has to be a focus for us, not only just him, but the whole offense clicking early. That is really my job to get the ball out on time and to where it is supposed to go. So yeah, that definitely has to be fixed.”

Ryans spoke about his confidence is getting Dell going.

What's working

The Texans have forced seven turnovers combined in their last two games after they hadn’t caused any in their previous three games.

Houston scored 16 points off three turnovers Sunday. The Texans had two interceptions and recovered a fumble on a punt. In their win over the Patriots, they scored 17 points off a season-high four turnovers.

What needs help

The Texans won’t get to where they want to be this season if Stroud doesn’t get back on track. Before Sunday, last year’s AP Offensive Rookie of the Year was averaging more than 262 yards passing a game, giving the team confidence that the problems in the passing game are fixable.

Ryans knows the line must give Stroud more time to throw and said the coaching staff will focus on improving in that area this week.

Stock up

RB Joe Mixon continued to shine Sunday in his second game back after missing three games with an ankle injury. Mixon, who is in his first season in Houston after a trade from Cincinnati, had 25 carries for 115 yards and two touchdowns against Green Bay.

Mixon is confident the Texans will rebound this week if they quit making mistakes.

“Does it look I’m worried? I’m not worried at all,” he said. “Like I said, we got a ... good football team. At the end of the day, we are our own worst enemy.”

Stock down

Dell was unable to help Stroud get the passing game going. The second-year player had a solid rookie season with 709 yards receiving and seven touchdowns in 11 games before breaking his leg. But he hasn’t been able to build on that success this year and has just 194 yards receiving with one score in six games.

Injuries

LB Azeez Al-Shaair (knee), LB Henry To’oTo’o (concussion), CB Kamari Lassiter (shoulder) and S Jimmie Ward (groin) all missed Sunday’s game and it’s unclear if any of these starters can return this week.

Key number

3 — Safety Calen Bullock had his third interception Sunday to tie Dunta Robinson and Jumal Rolle for most interceptions by a rookie in franchise history through the first seven games. He leads NFL rookies in interceptions this season and is tied for third-most among all players.

Next steps

The AFC South-leading Texans (5-2) return to division play Sunday when they host the second-place Colts (4-3), who have won two in a row and four of five.

cj strouddemeco ryanshouston texansjoe mixonnfltexans

SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome