Interesting take on the Bengals D adjustment at the half which confused the Chiefs so much.

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/what-in-the-world-happened-to-patrick-mahomes-after-halftime-examining-chiefs-qbs-play-in-afc-title-game/

Going into half-time Lou was just like fine Refs don't wanna call holds we will rush 3 drop 8 and hold every person downfield...and it worked.

Patrick Mahomes vs 3-man rushes in the 2nd half/OT:

12 dropbacks
29.1 passing grade
3-8, 15 yards
1 INT
4 sacks

Bengals secondary deserves every ounce of credit in this one.

— Andrew Russell (@PFF_AndrewR) January 31, 2022

(01-31-2022, 04:51 PM)Joelist Wrote: Interesting take on the Bengals D adjustment at the half which confused the Chiefs so much.

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/what-in-the-world-happened-to-patrick-mahomes-after-halftime-examining-chiefs-qbs-play-in-afc-title-game/

Very good. Thank you.

Yes, I read on the Chiefs Board statements that the Bengals were dropping 8 into coverage, only rushing 3, and it perplexed Mahomes. The report there was they tried it some 25% of the passing downs in the first half and found it worked and then went to it almost half the time in the second half. It was quite an amazing adjustment and well executed.

^ The 2nd half D (and OT D) won this game.

(01-31-2022, 04:51 PM)Joelist Wrote: Interesting take on the Bengals D adjustment at the half which confused the Chiefs so much.

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/what-in-the-world-happened-to-patrick-mahomes-after-halftime-examining-chiefs-qbs-play-in-afc-title-game/

Wow, that's even better than I thought. Lou should've gotten the game ball!

Lou's defense was Belicheckian yesterday.

(01-31-2022, 04:58 PM)Nepa Wrote: Very good. Thank you.

Yes, I read on the Chiefs Board statements that the Bengals were dropping 8 into coverage, only rushing 3, and it perplexed Mahomes. The report there was they tried it some 25% of the passing downs in the first half and found it worked and then went to it almost half the time in the second half. It was quite an amazing adjustment and well executed.

I voted for Lou in the "game ball" thread and give our defense tons of credit, but I am still stunned that Mahommes looked so bad at home in a playoff game.  Our pass defense is just not that good.

Usually with no pressure and no one open Mahommes would have ran for whatever he could get and keep the chains moving. Bur instead he just ran around in the backfield until he got sacked or had to throw it away.

(01-31-2022, 05:11 PM)J24 Wrote: Lou's defense was Belicheckian yesterday.

But only for a half.

I don't think I have ever seen an elite KB like Mahommes look so different from one half to another.

Honestly it just doesn't make any sense. But I am not complaining. 

They actually had Mahomes running himself covered - Hubbard was in coverage but also a spy. What the alignment did was take away the underneath stuff and because the ends on the 3 man rush were VERY disciplined in not overrunning the pocket Mahomes did not have an open escape hatch per se.

I posted before our defense has been money all playoffs especially in the 2nd half oh it's the 2nd half only given up 19 total points 9 in the 4th quarter

(01-31-2022, 05:27 PM)Joelist Wrote: They actually had Mahomes running himself covered - Hubbard was in coverage but also a spy. What the alignment did was take away the underneath stuff and because the ends on the 3 man rush were VERY disciplined in not overrunning the pocket Mahomes did not have an open escape hatch per se.

Beat me to it....and Sam was playing the spy when he got that strip sack. It was great adjustment, and thankfully one that worked.

(01-31-2022, 05:18 PM)fredtoast Wrote: I voted for Lou in the "game ball" thread and give our defense tons of credit, but I am still stunned that Mahommes looked so bad at home in a playoff game.  Our pass defense is just not that good.

Usually with no pressure and no one open Mahommes would have ran for whatever he could get and keep the chains moving. Bur instead he just ran around in the backfield until he got sacked or had to throw it away.

Good contain. My wife who knows little about football was wondering why some of the D-Linemen seemed to be "standing around" as she put it. Then Mahomes busted out the backside and got tracked down by Hendrickson.

We didn't give him any lanes.

(01-31-2022, 05:18 PM)fredtoast Wrote: I voted for Lou in the "game ball" thread and give our defense tons of credit, but I am still stunned that Mahommes looked so bad at home in a playoff game.  Our pass defense is just not that good.

Usually with no pressure and no one open Mahommes would have ran for whatever he could get and keep the chains moving. Bur instead he just ran around in the backfield until he got sacked or had to throw it away.

Looked to me, and I don't have any way to verify it, that he got away from taking what was given, and tried to amazing plays.  

(01-31-2022, 04:56 PM)Synric Wrote: Going into half-time Lou was just like fine Refs don't wanna call holds we will rush 3 drop 8 and hold every person downfield...and it worked.

Patrick Mahomes vs 3-man rushes in the 2nd half/OT:

12 dropbacks
29.1 passing grade
3-8, 15 yards
1 INT
4 sacks

Bengals secondary deserves every ounce of credit in this one.

— Andrew Russell (@PFF_AndrewR) January 31, 2022

great effort by our secondary!! who dey!!!

I was just catching some talk about this on ESPN and you have to hand it to Lou, he went from zone to playing man on man and tweaked up some coverages and it baffled Mahomes. They said that Cheifs got arrogant and didnt plan well at half time to counter what we may do. Hats off again...to Lou and the D.

Love that breakdown and seeing the defensive discipline. Makes you wonder if Lou saw it working in the first half but opted to roll the dice and wait till the second half to make it more regular, so that the Chiefs didn't have a chance to make a halftime adjustment against it. A gamble if that was the thought process, but an interesting thought.

Also, that clothesline tackle was cheap... Looks worse on that replay than I remembered it. At the time I was so pumped about the INT I didn't care THAT much, but geez.

Thanks for sharing I was completely baffled how we managed to completely shut them down after half. Sweet Lou pulled off a genius move and our players really stepped up and played well. On some of the coverages passing guys off like they did was really well executed and Hubbard on 3rd down at the end great mental clock and coming in to force Mahommes hand as I think he would scored there if he had even more time. I also think only rushing 3 made Mahommes comfortable not to run but instead scramble which enabled us to get to him eventually.

(01-31-2022, 04:51 PM)Joelist Wrote: Interesting take on the Bengals D adjustment at the half which confused the Chiefs so much.

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/what-in-the-world-happened-to-patrick-mahomes-after-halftime-examining-chiefs-qbs-play-in-afc-title-game/

Brilliant adjustment by Lou and our Defense executed perfectly. The 3 man rush really got into Mahomes head cause we 
could cover everybody while getting home with just 3 or 4 rushers. Took away his options, Marv, take notes this is not 
journalistic jargon lol

(01-31-2022, 05:21 PM)fredtoast Wrote: But only for a half.

I don't think I have ever seen an elite KB like Mahommes look so different from one half to another.

Honestly it just doesn't make any sense. But I am not complaining. 

Yeah apparently they ran some of the 3 man rush in the 1st half and looked at it on halftime and saw it worked and went all in. 

I was confused watching the game but I think it was a great game plan on the fly. Our players played it beautifully and it matched well more times than not to what the Chiefs were doing. I also think by dropping Hubbard into the short middle. We not only added an more guys to clog up the pass in the short middle but also probably encouraged Mahommes not to run.

Marvin tried to have us believe that half-time adjustments are a myth.

Lou's out here proving to be the half-time adjustment master. Twice now against the Chiefs he's adjusted, and shut them down in the second half.
Hats off to Lou