Fangio Reveals What Patrick Mahomes has in Common With a Young John Elway
The Denver Broncos are still riding high off their 16-0 shutout win over the Tennessee Titans. But on a short week, head coach Vic Fangio has already begun to turn the page to the Kansas City Chiefs.
At 4-2, the Chiefs are headed in the opposite direction the Broncos are. Kansas City has lost two straight while Denver has won two straight.
The unstoppable force will meet the immovable object at Empower Field at Mile High on Thursday Night Football. Quarterbacking the Chiefs is the reigning NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes.
Mahomes is a perfect 3-0 vs. the Broncos, with two of those victories coming at Mile High. In his Monday press conference following the win over the Titans, Fangio paid Mahomes the ultimate compliment, while also comparing him to his Hall-of-Fame boss, John Elway.
“I think he’s like John Elway was in the 80s and 90s," Fangio said regarding Mahomes. "He’s that guy. Like Aaron Rodgers has been for the last 12, 14 years—however many years he’s been starting. He’s kind of that guy. He’s the great passer, the great improviser. He plays with a lot of athletic arrogance, which is a compliment. He’s very confident in his ability. He’s very poised, he doesn’t get rattled and he’s got an arm that is really, really good. He can make all the throws they are asking him to make and some that they are not even asking him to make that just show up in his improvisations. He’s good in the pocket, has good pocket feel. You can tell he’s a gamer. They guy is really, really special.”
Mahomes is unquestionably the most dynamic quarterback in the NFL right now. Even on the heels of two consecutive losses, the Broncos will be faced with their stiffest defensive test yet.
Broncos fans have been watching Mahomes for the past season and a half of football and have witnessed his at times physics-defying ability. But Fangio put his finger on what makes Mahomes such a unique test for opposing defenses.
“With a guy like this, you have to defend two plays: the one they’ve called and then the one he might create," Fangio said. "That makes it tough.”
We have seen the Broncos contain dynamic quarterbacks like Mahomes in years past, especially in Denver. Think back to that Week 8 victory over the Green Bay Packers back in 2015, in which Aaron Rodgers was held to a career-low 77 yards passing and sacked three times.
Denver pressured him consistently but the rush also did a great job of containing Rodgers' ability to break the pocket, and just like Mahomes, create off schedule. The primary reason the Broncos came up so big in that contest vs. Rodgers was more due to how well the back seven covered than how potent the pass rush was.
The two go hand-in-hand, as Fangio intimated following the Broncos' seven-sack performance vs. Tennessee. If the 2019 Broncos can hold up in coverage, and the defensive line can walk that razor's edge of pressuring Patrick Mahomes while not allowing him to break contain, Fangio's squad will have a fighting chance to come out on top.
“Hopefully by having a good day of covering their guys," Fangio said. "These guys have a slew of receivers. They are all fast and they get down the field fast—or over the field fast. It’s really a good offense that suits their personnel, that their quarterback can run. It’s tough.”
Perhaps the best recipe for beating Mahomes is by keeping him on the sideline. Meaning, Joe Flacco and the Broncos offense have to do a much better job at sustaining drives that culminate in touchdowns, not field goals. Settling for three points on drives will get you beat by Mahomes.
“I think that’s true any week, really," Fangio said. "You want to be able to move the ball, make first downs and score points. What you don’t want to do is move the ball and come up empty.”
Mahomes is often compared to Elway in his prime and it's not hard to see why. Big, physical specimens at the quarterback position who ooze athleticism, have rocket arm strength and can beat you just as easily with their legs. The other common denominator between Elway and Mahomes? The will to win.
Elway hated to lose and would go to any length to achieve victory and through his brief NFL career thus far, the same holds true for Mahomes. No doubt, the Broncos will have their work cut out for them on Thursday night.
But considering that the Broncos haven't beaten the Chiefs since Week 2 of the 2015 season (dates back seven games), perhaps the law of averages, combined with the respective trajectories of each team, portends well for Denver in Week 7.
Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.
