Keanu: Hello Falcons and Welcome to another podcast of Off the Field. I’m your host Keanu Daniel: I’m Daniel
Derrick: I’m Derrick
Keanu: and today we’ll be previewing uh.. for this Sunday’s Super Bowl matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers, Derek take it away.
Derrick: I got Kansas City, mahomes-
Keanu: Yeah i got Kansas City too
Derrick: Mahomes is a beast.
Keanu: Yeah
Derrick: He’s a beast
Keanu: You see that run uh.. Was it two two weeks ago?
Derrick: Yes.
Keanu: When he had that touchdown.
Derrick: [pshh]
Keanu: Who you got Daniel?
Daniel: when he had that touch.. dude I mean, that’s the thing its just that the San Francisco’s defense is really good
Derrick: yeah
Keanu: oh yeah
Daniel: But mahomes is really good at picking apart defenses
Keanu: Yeah
Daniel: And he’s not just someone that can’t throw long distances and can like throw a cannon like when he needs to, but he.. him and his receivers are just like perfectly in sync when they’re on the field, at least in the second half of the game.
Keanu: Yeah
Daniel: cause he comes from… he comes from like it’s always it’s always when they’re losing
Keanu: uh huh
Daniel: is like when he can just fire it up. But the fact that he’s able to do that at all just shows that he can work under pressure. And that’s what people are speculating is like, oh, what can he work under Super Bowl pressure pressure?
Keanu: mhm
Daniel: But I mean he’s playing these intense playoff games. And now he’s made it past those games to go to the Super Bowl and I think that he’s shown that when people are looking at him to make the plays that he makes them, so I don’t think he’s gonna have a problem on the Super Bowl when it comes to nerves necessarily, but.. is his ability to see through defenses better than the 49ers defense.
Keanu: And I think, I think the last the last two games he’s played in playoffs and division round and uh.. the championship game, those two games have prepared him for the Super Bowl, Daniel: definitely
Derrick: yeah
Keanu: if you look at the game against Houston when they were down.. Was it like 28 points?
Derrick: mhm
Keanu: and he scored like 24 or 21 in the second quarter alone,
that tells a lot of people what you can do with your offense
Derrick: mhm..
Keanu: So trust between the coaches
Daniel: definitely. So what I think is.. it’s probably going to come up to how many times will the niners defense make a mistake that will allow mahomes to capitalize it and score, which the defense is really good.
Keanu: yeah
Daniel: Like we said it was top ranked, and it’s been tested before and it’s what’s been earning them their victories and was what brought them this far for sure-
Derrick: yeah-
Daniel: Along with their talent on offense
Derrick: Yeah
Daniel: but it’s like, their offense is going to score in the chiefs. Like Garrapolo is also a good quarterback and he has some good weapons-
Keanu: and the Chiefs, the chiefs defenses isn’t.. I wouldn’t I mean, they’re good, but they’re not as good as the niners been-
Daniel: yeah on ESPN it’s not even like top five
Keanu: Yeah-
Daniel: so I mean-
Keanu: exactly
Daniel: obviously, it’s good enough to get them to this point-
Keanu: yeah
Daniel: But the point is like, Who’s gonna score more? Yeah.
Keanu: yeah
Derrick: yeah
Daniel: Who’s gonna.. like, yeah, they might have a weaker offense than the chiefs but they have a weaker defense
Keanu: Yeah and that’s pretty much the same thing with last year’s Super Bowl against the Patriots and the Rams, the Patriots defense wasn’t ranked top 10 at all, But they still managed to keep the Rams to three points
Daniel: definitely
Keanu: you know so that could be a possibility with this, this game.
Daniel: Yeah. Yeah. I mean, like, and the chiefs can totally step it up-
Keanu: oh yeah
Daniel: and let mahomes do his thing
Keanu: yeah
Daniel: And if that’s the case, San Francisco is getting shut down
Keanu: yeah
Daniel: shut down If they get no momentum on offense, but there scoring, then what the it’s just going to be relentless. Like, it’s just, it’s going to be a beat down from the offensive side.
Keanu: yeah
Daniel: It’s going to be too much for the defense to handle for sure
Keanu: Yeah
Daniel: They can’t be like their offense can’t be getting shut out those three and outs-
Keanu: right on that
If they get shut out those three and outs early game and make the defense work harder, it should be, it’s going to be exactly what we’ve seen in these last two games from mahomes. just picking them apart.
Derrick: I mean, the Kansas City offense is ranked number two, yeah
Daniel: well now that they’re in the Super Bowl
Derrick: I know right?
Daniel: But before that it was like, it was like six or something
Derrick: mhmm
Keanu: well yeah uh.. like I said, I’m going for Kansas City. I mean, I like to see Mahomes get his first ring I mean, I would honestly like besides Kansas City and being in the Super Bowl and everything I would have liked to see Tennessee, just because you know, their the sixth seed
Daniel: oh yeah right definitely
Keanu: like nobody, nobody like seen them being a playoff contender until like, the very last couple weeks of the season.
Daniel: And people were like, even though they came out of nowhere, people were still picking them
Keanu: yeah
Derrick: mhmm
Daniel: to win-
Keanu: Yeah
Daniel: you know
Keanu: but I’m, I’m happy for the chiefs and the 49ers you know, this Cali team so you know, either way whoever wins you know, I’m still proud of both of them, yeah.
Derrick: I mean, I’m I’m going back to mahomes, the thing I like about him, the way he throws that ball, have you seen the way he throws?
Keanu: the the sidearm? The sidearm one?
Derrick: the sidearm, there’s only three quarterbacks in the NFL right now that could throw like that.
Keanu: Yeah
Derrick: him, watson and uh.. what’s the other? There’s another quarterback
Keanu: that throws sidearm?
Derrick: Yeah.
Keanu: uh.. I know Philip Rivers does, he throws that sidearm
Derrick: Yeah.
Keanu: were you talking about Philip or another?
Derrick: no not philip. Lamar?
Keanu: Lamar Jackson
Derrick: Lamar Jackson,
Keanu: yeah
Derrick: mahomes
Keanu: Mahomes and Watson
Derrick: and Watson, those are the three quarterbacks the three quarterbacks that could throw that side. I’m like dang. What was the game with the Chiefs I think a week or two before mahomes got hurt
Keanu: yeah uh..
Daniel: a week or two before he got hurt?
Keanu: Yeah, I think it was probably against the Ravens.
Derrick: I think it was a ravens. You remember when the when the tight end in went straight down cut right through the middle and he just went
Keanu: Oh yeah,
Derrick: I was like I told my friend I’m like, there’s nobody in the NFL that could do that.
Daniel: That’s what I that’s what I was going to say cause you mentioned the Deshaun Watson Lamar Jackson
Derrick: Yeah
Daniel: And yeah, they can do it. I think it’s like a younger class of quarterback there-
Derrick: Yes!
Daniel: that could do that.
Keanu: Yeah
Daniel: but I think like mahomes.. I’m not going to say that they weren’t able to do it effectively, but maybe not as effectively as mahomes uses it because he uses it. I think his first season. I forgot what game it was against. But he threw a sidearm with his offhand
Keanu: oh it was against Denver.
Yeah, and I thought I thought that was
Keanu: I remember watching that game
Derrick: yeah
Daniel: incredible because he crossed his body. I mean, he didn’t he just like thinks I could sling it to him if I do this and he just does it.
Keanu:And he did, he also did that uh.. in the season opener of last last year when they played the Chargers I was there to watch it.
Derrick: Yeah..
Keanu: And he threw that he was running and he threw that sidearm to Tyreek Hill and obviously it was a touchdown because he just exploded and dude
Daniel: And that’s the thing-
Keanu: he is so fast like just watching Tyreek Hill run in person. Unbelievable. Unbelievable. I was mad but I was like, damn. He is fast
Daniel: he just uh whether he’s in the pocket or scrambling and he doesn’t need a lot of time in the pocket He’s not like
Keanu: oh yeah no
Daniel: sits on it and waits for it-
Derrick: He just
Keanu: he just does the play.
Derrick: He proved that a championship game by running that that touchdown
Keanu: I know. I was not I was expecting I was like the last couple games of this past season. He’s always like the type of quarterback to like run out of bounds. You know, I’m not saying that like it’s a bad thing or anything but um watching that play and seeing him like take the hits and keep going. That’s the true competitor that’s what you need in a franchise or for a franchise I mean
Derrick: Yeah.
Keanu: And you know that just shows other teams that he’s not afraid to take the hits and keep going. And you know the weapons that he has: Travis Kelce, Tyree kill, his running backs. Um.. what is it? Michael Hardman number 17.
Derrick: yeah
Keanu: I think its Hardman. He’s also fast too. So I think if you get those three, four guys going, and mahomes stays consistent with throwing to them, I think that’s going to be an offense that you just can’t stop.
Derrick: What about the niners? Like what is what is something that they’re gonna have to do to in it to win this, like, obviously that their defense need to shut it down,
Keanu: yeah
Daniel: but I think what they did against the Packers was just have a pass rush, just a very intense pass rush. And I think that kind of stinted Aaron Rodgers because he wasn’t able to to overcome that.
Keanu: And I was surprised the Packers were even in the-
Daniel: me too
Keanu: NFC Championship game. I was hoping it would been the Seahawks
Derrick: me too
Keanu: but then, you know, again, the Seahawks defense they’re young
Derrick: Yeah
Keanu: they only have two. Two guys left from the Legion of boom, Bobby Wagner and Kj Wright. They can’t they can’t cover the field all by themselves
Daniel: they sure cannot
Keanu: Yeah, everybody left or retired. But again, they’re a very young team. So give them a couple years and I think they’ll be back to where they want to be.
Daniel: Yeah, I think, who knows. I mean, I mean, maybe the chiefs, the Chiefs O-line is probably pretty good considering-
Keanu: oh yeah how much Mahomes has been able to achieve. Especially, I mean, we know that he has good receivers, but also a good O-line a good front. I mean, to protect them enough from a lot of damage and but maybe the 49ers defense, their D-line, maybe they can get through that. And if they get through that and they put put a lot of pressure on mahomes I think that might significantly change-
Keanu: the game
Daniel: the way that he has to play.
Keanu: Yeah.
Daniel: And if he is, if he feels that like, Oh man, I just can’t feel like I have a lot of time or have to always leave the pocket, then we’re probably going to see more runs are probably going to see like a little less of him being used. And I think that will give the 49ers opportunity to start going on their drives. You know, they’re probably going to be relying on turnovers.
Keanu: Yeah definitely
Daniel: that’s huge. They’re probably gonna be lining up big turnovers so that’s what they need
Keanu: I think that’s a key factor on the 49ers defense or player is obviously their D-line
their linebackers and Richard Sherman. Richard Sherman has two interceptions in the last
two games that they played, divisional round and championship game. Whoever he’s gonna be going up against I I want to say it’s going to be Sherman on Hardman. I don’t know who’s gonna be covering tyreek in the slot but
Daniel: I think it’s probably going to be sherman
Keanu: you think so?
Daniel: yeah I think so
Keanu:Yes that’s going to be a matchup to watch I think
Daniel: well I mean
Keanu: I don’t I haven’t seen Sherman covering in the slots.
Daniel: No but do you think that their data they’re going to use Tyreek in the slot, they’re going to put him out wideouts I think they’re using him in the slot
Derrick: the slot
Keanu: That’s where he’s like most dangerous. Hardman on the outside. Uh.. Sammy Watkins on the other and then Travis Kelce at the tight end.
Daniel: Travis Kelce is good too
Keanu: oh yeah oh no yeah both both tight ends. George Kittle and Travis Kelce, those are the two top tight ends in the league.
Derrick: You could go double tight end and why not use that?
Keanu: Oh yeah, oh yeah uh..
Daniel: but you know what they don’t have to, they don’t have to because because
Mahomes has so much success. I would say if they were more of a running team and they had those two good tight ends. It would be most of the time.
Keanu: They would go double tight, yeah. All right, last pics. I got the chiefs.
Derrick: chiefs.
Daniel:I got to pick the chiefs too.
Keanu:All right, well, we’re all going for the Chiefs here.
Derrick: Yeah.
Keanu: alright Falcons that’s it for off the field. I’m your host Keanu.
Daniel: I’m Daniel.
Derrick: And I’m Derek.
Keanu: And we’ll see y’all next week.
