Brady, Belichick and the Pats run Mahomes, Reid and the Chiefs in OT
The good, bad and ugly of the AFC Championship game
Jan 21, 2019, 3:28 am
Brady, Belichick and the Pats run Mahomes, Reid and the Chiefs in OT
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.
Rookie Cam Smith homered on his first two at-bats and had a career-best four RBIs to power the Houston Astros to a 6-4 win over the San Diego Padres on Friday night.
CAM SMOKES ONE!#BuiltForThis pic.twitter.com/hI9YnN90Fg
— Houston Astros (@astros) April 19, 2025
Smith connected off Kyle Hart (2-1) on a three-run homer in the second inning to put the Astros on top and added a solo shot off the lefty in the fourth that made it 5-2.
TAKE 2.#BUILTFORTHIS pic.twitter.com/WA1aQgAi9e
— Houston Astros (@astros) April 19, 2025
San Diego's Luis Arraez, who had three hits, sent a high fastball from Bryan King into the first row in right field for a two-run homer that cut the lead to 5-4 in the seventh.
Jake Meyers tied a season high with three hits for the Astros, capped by a run-scoring single in the eighth to give them some insurance.
Houston starter Ryan Gusto (2-1) gave up nine hits and two runs in five innings. Josh Hader pitched a perfect ninth for his fifth save.
The Padres went 2 for 10 with runners in scoring position.
The Astros trailed by 1 with two on and two outs in the second inning when Smith sent his first home run into the seats in left field to make it 3-1.
An RBI single by Yainer Diaz extended the lead to 4-1 in the third.
Oscar Gonzalez cut the lead to 4-2 with an RBI single on a ground ball with one out in the fourth.
Smith’s second home run came on a full count in the fourth inning to extend the lead to 5-2.
Hart yielded 10 hits and five runs in five innings for his first loss this season after the team won each of his first three starts.
Smith's first home run that put the Astros on top for good.
Smith was 1 for 10 in Houston’s three-game series against St. Louis this week before breaking out Friday night.
Houston RHP Hayden Wesneski (1-1, 4.00 ERA) opposes RHP Michael King (3-0, 2.42) when the series continues Saturday night.