If you heard a noise after ' leg got rolled up on in the ' playoff win against the on Saturday, it was probably America's collective groan as the best quarterback on the planet suffered a high ankle sprain. It's an injury Mahomes on Sunday in the AFC Championship Game, but one that could rob us of watching Mahomes pull off iconic escapes and jaw-dropping throws. The domino effect could also alter championship hopes and legacies acro s the league.The spread has already swung 2.5 points at Caesars Sportsbook. The Chiefs opened as a one-point favorite on Sunday night and are 1.5-point underdogs as of Wednesday.Here's how Mahomes' style of play could be impacted:The most obvious change will be a lack of mobility from arguably the most dangerous (and entertaining) pa ser from outside the pocket in the league. Before suffering an injury on Saturday, Mahomes was putting on a master cla s of quarterback improvisation, from jump pa ses and side arms throws to impre sive darts while on the run.Six of his 12 pa ses were from outside the pocket before getting hurt. None
Christian Folin Men Jersey of his 18 pa ses were from out of the pocket after suffering a high ankle sprain that forced him to hobble the rest of the game. He was relegated to quick throws from between the tackles, as his average time to throw dropped by a half second. BeforeAfterComp-att10/1212/18Attempts outside pocket60Average time to throw3.1 seconds2.6 secondsPa ser rating121.2103.5Taking away Mahomes' mobility is kind of like taking away Steph Curry's three-pointers. Mahomes led the in both dropbacks and efficiency (EPA
Jordan Weal Women Jersey per dropback) outside the pocket this season (tied with ). So in terms of quality and quantity, Mahomes is on another level, which is why you'll see his image in the upper right below, looking at the aforementioned numbers.He's been a human highlight reel since entering the league, and nobody has come close to impact on the move in the playoffs. He accounts for 15 of the league's 37 touchdown pa ses outside the pocket (41 percent) in the last five postseasons. The quarterback who is second on the list has four ( ). Mahomes had three touchdown pa ses outside the pocket in the first half alone in last year's AFC Championship Game against the .Patrick Mahomes15Josh Allen4222Ru sell Wilson2More evidence points toward Mahomes
Kevin Hayes Kids Jersey losing a crucial part of his game. His play was also noticeably impacted by a turf toe injury suffered in the 2020 divisional round win over the , which required offseason surgery. Although Mahomes put on a clinic against the in the 2020 AFC Championship Game, he played one of the worst games of his life in a 31-9 lo s to the ' in LV.Of course, turf toe and a high ankle sprain are two different injuries and the Chiefs were also down both starting offensive tackles in that Super Bowl, but the results were still staggering.Mahomes was 7 of 23 pa sing with a 18.2 pa ser rating outside the pocket the rest of the 2020 postseason after hurting his toe. His pa ser rating outside the pocket is 117.8 in all other postseason games.2020 after injuryAll other gamesComp pct30%62%Yards per attempt2.08.4Pa s TD-INT1-214-2Pa ser rating18.2117.8Don't dismi s Mahomes' scrambling ability either. Since the start of last season, only Allen has scrambled for more first downs on third down than Mahomes. It's another critical tool in his arsenal that will break a defense's back and allows Kansas City to extend drives.All is not lost, though.You could argue that Mahomes and the Chiefs are better equipped to handle this injury than they were when he got injured in the 2020 postseason. The lo s of and Mahomes' "slump" in 2021 forced Kansas City to adjust to how teams were defending him and rely more on an efficient, quick-pa sing approach.Mahomes was the most efficient quarterback in the NFL in the following situations this year, measured by EPA per dropback:Pa sing inside the pocketPa sing in under 2.5 secondsPa sing when not blitzedPa sing vs. two or more high safetiesHe's grown more accustomed to carving up defenses from in the pocket. Mahomes' average pa s length (7.24 yards downfield) was the shortest of his career
Taylor Leier Jersey in 2022, and he tied an NFL record by throwing 28 touchdown pa ses to running backs and tight ends. The results speak for themselves as Mahomes also recorded his second career 5,000-yard pa sing season and is a lock for his second NFL MVP award.Perhaps this sums it up best. If you took away all of Mahomes' touchdown pa ses outside the pocket since 2018, he'd still have the same number of touchdowns (138) as Allen in that span
Valtteri Filppula Women Jersey . He can still absolutely win more games than most from inside the pocket.A clean pocket will be pivotal to Mahomes' succe s on Sunday, and he has the luxury of playing behind one of the best offensive lines in football. However, Lou Anarumo's defense may not be as cushy as Jacksonville's. The Bengals sent a defensive back pa s rusher 10 times against Allen last weekend, creating confusion with these zone blitzes, which our own Chris Trapa so broke down earlier this week. The Bengals have done this effectively all season, and it generates pre sure nearly HALF the time.NFL RankPlays1034thComp pct55%7thPa ser rating66.65thPre sure rate46%12thThe deck looks stacked against Mahomes even if he can play on Sunday, but when you're talking about the best QB on the planet, it's best to never underestimate him.
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