Yeah, for the second straight week I'm going to give co-players. At least this time both won the game (unlike my pick of Mahomes & Allen last week). With Van Jefferson seemingly in witness protection, Tyler Higbee injured, and the running game giving the Rams less than nothing, we're left with two great receivers who played great. Kupp was insane as always - his ability to get open deep to turn around to catch balls at the exact right second, to get open against a variety of coverages. All of it is special. For OBJ, this was the type of game the Rams got him for and the type of game most thought he had left behind. It was just great to watch him play that way.
Runner-Up: Trey Hendrickson (DE, CIN)
The whole Bengals defense was insane in that second half, but Hendrickson takes the cake. Double teamed often given the Bengals resorted to rushing just three half the time, he was monstrous against the Chiefs. Pressuring Mahomes, chasing into eventual sacks, getting his hands up which further got Mahomes rattled and avoided risky throws. The Bengals needed their star FA pass rusher to show up huge and he (along with a great performance from Sam Hubbard) did just that.
Goat of the Week: Patrick Mahomes (QB, KC)
I have to be blunt, that second half was the worst I've ever seen Mahomes play. More than looking lost, he looked nervous. I don't know if it was the mental screwup at the end of the 1st half, or the pick on the screen pass, but Mahomes just was off. Missing easy throws, sailing balls high, running into sacks against 3-man pressures with ample time to just throw it away. Some of it is on Andy Reid and the offense as a whole for not adjusting, but in the end it just seemed like Mahomes was just way too nervous to throw against those 8-man zones.
Runner-Up: Jimmy Garoppolo (QB, SF)
I geniunely think Garoppolo perfermed at a 'goat' like level but also was better than the trainwreck some made him out to be. The actual game-ending interception was a desperation throw to avoid a 4th & 20+ and did hit the hands of his receiver first. That said, he was bad, despite good protection for a majority of the game. He missed a wide open Kittle on the first drive that would've immediately put them in close to field goal range. He did his normal thing of throwing five brutally high risk throws that just make you scream. Some bad team is getting a decent QB in Garoppolo but it is clear why Shanahan thinks he must need to upgrade.
Surprise of the Week: Cincinnati Bengals Offensive Line
Has to be, right? After the nine sacks, against a pass rush that put pressure on the Bills consistently and seemed to have matchup advantages everywhere, the Bengals were more than adequate. It helped with Burrow being extra-quick to get rid of the ball in the first half, but to allow just one sack (and only like two real 'escapes' by Burrow) is incredible. They were also able to get gains in the run game, specifically on the game winning drive giving Mixon tons of space. For as decent as they were, they will need to be downright good in the Super Bowl to have any chance. But that's a concern for another day.
Runner-Up: Los Angeles Rams rush defense
The Rams aren't a bad rush defense. If anything most metrics put them in the Top-5. They are, however, a highly variable one that has had some notable bad spots. They gave up 291 yards rushing in the two losses to the 49ers in the regular season - and had struggles against Arizona, Baltimore and other good rushing teams. Here, they slammed the door from teh start. Giving up just 50 yards on 20 carries, turning the 49ers into a one-dimensional unit from the start. They should always be this good, in reality, and in a big spot they very much were.
Disappointment of the Week: San Francisco 49ers playcalling
The 49ers just haven't learned how to play with a lead yet, or more pointedly, Shanahan hasn't. In Super Bowl LI it was not running the ball when they were fine just doing so when up 28-3. In Super Bowl LIV it was similar against KC when up 20-10 - though granted Garoppolo missed some makeable throws. Here, it was not abandoning the run when they were getting nothing, or leaning more on Deebo runs that were having way more success than anything with Mitchell. Also there was nothing quick, nothing easy for Jimmy in that second half. Shanahan really has to figure out these late game situations.
Runner-Up: Andy Reid's lack of adjustments
The Chiefs acted like facing an 8-man zone with a 3-man rush was a new strategy invented by Cincinnati. While the strategy has worked in the past at times, I've often heard people say it is death to try that against a great QB, that sooner or later someone will get open. Well, maybe it was Mahomes being hesitant to throw at times, but I also don't think Andy schemed people open enough. He also got away from the run, which is a great tool against a 3-man rush to at least get your 5-7 yards - something they were doing consistently in the first half and in the Divisional Round.. That was a meltdown across the board for KC, but not helped by Reid.
Team Performance of the Week: Bengals secondary
I already credited the front and particularly Trey Hendrickson earlier, but the drop-8 strategy also fails if the eight, and more markedly the 5-6 DBs in that, don't ahve the stamina and shadowing ability to hold up for 5-8 seconds on any given play. It is insane how much time Mahomes had frequently in that second half with just no one coming open. Yes, the refs were letting it play more than normal, but still keeping up with the Chiefs speed and skill guys for those durations is commendable. As is Jessie Bates who from the pick to end the Wild Card game, to the tip to cause the OT pick here, was massive.
Runner-Up: Bengals coaching staff
Yeah, I'm letting go of this game just yet. You can say the Chiefs blew it, and they most certainly did, but the Bengals coaching staff able to not lose script and keep things calm while making sensible adjustments when falling down 21-3 on the road is so, so impressive. Zak Taylor gets so little respect but he crafted a game-plan that focused on Burrow getting rid of the ball quick and utilizing guys who weren't JaMarr Chase so well. On defense we've talked about the bet to go dropping eight and figuring that it would throw off the timing. The defense has been well coached for weeks now, playing above its collective level by having no real weak link. Just such a great job.
Team Laydown of the Week: 49ers offensive line
Yes the Rams is a tough assignment, and they did fairly well for 45 minutes, but in that fourth quarter, whether it was getting a yard or two to extend a drive (admittedly, Shanahan wimped out by punting) or giving Jimmy any time on the last two drives, the 49ers picked a terrible time to start losing every matchup up front. It was even from the guys that were great all season like Trent Williams giving up pressures. I could've probably picked the Chiefs offense here, but I've already picked Mahomes as goat and talked about Reid's bad playcalling. It was really the sudden collapse of the 49ers OL that killed any chance the 49ers had.
Runner-Up: McVay's game management
I know they won the game, but I've never seen a coach just throw away timeouts and challenges like that. The first challenge is defensible, trying to overturn a turnover on downs - but those change of spot plays on a QB sneak will almost never get changed. The final challenge, and the final timeout that came with it, was incredibly dumb. I have no idea who told McVay they should challenge, or even if McVay just did it himself. His issues compound on each other - he's always been one to be OK throwing away timeouts more than others, and then doing so with that challenge. It is amazing it did not come back to bit him at all.
Storyline that will be Beat into the Ground: The Rams going "All In"
This is a worthy storyline because it is very much what the Rams did. They trade a lot for Stafford (and Jalen Ramsey before that). They traded some more for Von. But they also did things on the cheap - OBJ wasn't a huge risk given his pay at this point. The defense is largely homegrown on the backend aside from Ramsey and has played admirably. The OL is homegrown aside from Whitworth and has done so well to give Stafford time. They've developed Kupp so well. On the whole, the Rams built a great roster in house and added to it brilliantly. They didn't just go full stars and scrubs.
Storyline that Should be Beat into the Ground: Joe Burrow's Ascendance
Burrow might run the risk of getting overhyped, but I've also seen some people somewhat criticize him in a 'he's getting lucky' sort of way, talking about the six INTs his defense has given him - many at crucial moments, or the high sack rate, and the failings in teh red zone. But we have to realize just how bad the OL is most of the time. We also ahve to realize this was a 2-win team two years ago, and a 4-win team last year. They;ve upgraded in many places but playoff Burrow is not the full formed man. And if he's had some Brady-esque circa 2001, 2003, performances here, he was also a monster at everything aside from sacks in the regular season. He is very much a star, and this is a sheer sign of it.
