One hallmark of the Kansas City Chiefs’ explosive offense is pre-snap motion. They use it a lot.
Whether its speedster Tyreek Hill buzzing around the backfield or quarterback Patrick Mahomes shifting his team into an entirely different formation, the Chiefs excel at creating — and then exploiting — mismatches.
How do you defend against that motion and misdirection? By preparing for it.
New England Patriots outside linebacker Chase Winovich, who played against the Chiefs as a rookie last season, waxed philosophical Friday as he described that process.
“You don’t get mad when it rains,” Winovich said. “You get upset when it rains and you’re not really expecting it to rain. I think (that) is the part that kind of throws you off. I’m saying in life, not necessarily football.
“It’s kind of the same thing with motion. Motion is something that, if you know they do it — and most teams in the league use it for one reason or another, whether it’s identifying things or just to trick the defense into getting into different formations or different leverages in terms of pass concepts — it’s just a matter of expecting it and practicing it.
“Going through the week, I felt that we had a great week of preparation this week and I’m looking forward to the game on Sunday to put that to the test.”
New England did a respectable job of limiting Mahomes and the Chiefs’ offense last season, holding them to two total touchdowns and just three points after halftime in a 23-16 Patriots loss. They’ll look to replicate that effort on Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium.
