Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is no stranger to modifying Kansas City’s offense in the face of an unfamiliar defensive scheme during a game.
His knack and capacity to do so have played an integral part in him becoming a two-time Super Bowl champion. Mahomes, who recently completed his sixth NFL season, has now seen quite a few defensive sets that he has logged by memory to what he calls his mental “filing cabinet.”
While the 27-year-old has garnered a lot of success, Mahomes credited Bill Belichick and the Patriots for preparing him to handle unusual defensive fronts in the league. In an appearance on the New Heights podcast hosted by Travis and Jason Kelce, Mahomes recalled the Chiefs’ game against New England during his first year as a starter and the bizarre defense that Belichick threw at him.
“They [the Patriots] were doing this weird… 40 up front… they don’t really have a true nose guard,” Mahomes said on the podcast. “They kind of have double splits, they have linebackers kind of playing defensive linemen some of that stuff. I remember being back there like I have no idea what to do to get these five guys blocked.
“ ... Thanks Coach Belichick because ever since then… if the blitz protection isn’t perfect and I don’t feel perfect going into the game with it. I don’t feel prepared.”
Mahomes finished the 2022 season as the NFL’s MVP, becoming the first player to win the Super Bowl and the MVP in the same season since Rams quarterback Kurt Warner did so in 1999.
