Thx
This is a great quote from the Athletic (don’t look for it it’s paid content)
that captures why this game will be different than the Chiefs game for the Pats:
Mainly:
1) Reid is not as dependable or astute a coach as McVay, McVay making up for his shortcomings when it comes to clock management and getting the most out of his players;
And
2) the Pats being able to shut down all the Rams weapons like they did with the Chiefs (that it McVay is aware that will be the plan and will counter it to get sufficient offensive production)
After the two minute warning, the Pats moved the ball down the field, never using a timeout, and scored with just 42 seconds left in the game to take the lead 31-28. Trust me, had Belichick had the chance to run one or two more plays, it would have been ideal, but running back Rex Burkhead was not going to lie down on the one-yard line to make that happen. He scored on a four-yard run, and now the Patriots had to keep the Chiefs from scoring. And, as we all know, they weren’t able to do that — the Chiefs tied it up at 31 — but they did limit Mahomes’ time with the ball to only 32 seconds and one timeout, meaning the chances that they’d win the game on this drive rather than tie it and send it to overtime were miniscule. With these two offenses on the field, it’s understandably difficult to hold them on any drive, but Reid should’ve at least worked the clock more effectively during his drive to leave the Patriots a little less time as he knew that if he scored, New England would need a touchdown to keep the game alive.
Reid is always in a hurry to score. He loves to call pass plays, and his offense is dynamic, but often the clock becomes as much of an opponent as the team on the other sideline. He is 12-14 in 26 postseason games throughout his NFL coaching career. I keep waiting for Reid to understand and appreciate how his play calling could help him win games and prevent his defense from being always exposed, but it never seems to happen.
The Chiefs lost at home because Reid cannot understand how to utilize the clock, and because five of his best players, Dee Ford, Justin Houston, Chris Jones, Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce were non-factors in the game. Ford’s greatest impact came at his own team’s expense, when he lined up offsides on an interception that would have won the game for the Chiefs. Houston’s impact was negated, and Jones was only able to bat one ball down all day, making no tackles. Hill had one catch, and Kelce had three, but all game the Chiefs offense struggled to get them the ball, which is classic Belichick. He was going to make sure someone other than those five beat the Patriots and he did.