Mahomes Dominated the 49ers From the Pocket

The NFL is a copy-cat league. If teams see something work — especially when it’s working against an elite NFL offense — they’re going to try and duplicate it. 

We’ve seen teams throw a lot of different things at the Chiefs over the years to try to keep a lid on Patrick Mahomes and the offense. Refusing to blitz, playing 2-high, dropping 8, you name it. Last week the Bills employed a three man rush with a quarterback spy ready to close on Mahomes the second he exited the pocket. 

It worked. The Bills were able to affect Mahomes and force incompletions and confusion enough to keep the Chiefs offense to a pedestrian 20 points last week. The message was clear from Buffalo: we think we can beat you if we force you stay in the pocket.