The Chiefs Top 10 Plays of 2020 — So Far – Next time you’re sitting around with your friends, or significant other, feeling bored, try some power rankings. Name your top 5 Jim Carrey movies, or best ways to consume mountain dew or Christmas songs etc…. All joking aside, you’ll at least get a solid 15 minutes of quality discussion all to find out that Taco Bell clearly does have the best tasting Mountain Dew. Anyways, I took the time to try to power rank the top 10 plays of Chiefs 2020 season thus far. It was equally as challenging as ranking the holidays. Thankfully, the Chiefs are headed into their Bye Week with an 8-1 record and fairly healthy, so there are many highlights to choose from.
The Criteria: I tried not to just highlight offensive plays, even though those always seem the most fun. I also took into consideration the situation and the opponent. A touchdown to go up 20 isn’t as thrilling as one to take the lead. Likewise, the opponent matters too; a Jets highlight just isn’t worth as much as a Ravens highlight. Lastly, I tried to spread the love for various players and highlight a single play that also encapsulates a moment.
Byron Pringle’s 102-yard Kickoff Return
Breakdown: This highlight gets instant recognition because kick off returns are so rare now that the NFL has changed the rules. It was also fun to see Pringle continue to find ways to contribute to the team as he is a valued chess piece to this roster. Through in the snow and another bashing of the Broncos and you have a top 10 highlight.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire’s 1st NFL Touchdown
Breakdown: At the time we thought the Texans could be a playoff contender which has since been proven very wrong. However, Clyde started his NFL career off by having a huge game in the national spotlight. He put the whole NFL on notice that Kansas City had another weapon to attack with. Clyde showed the ability to run between the tackles with some shiftiness to put the saftey on skates. Clyde finished the game with 138 yards and a touchdown.
Ferrari Right
Breakdown: I mean, is there really any breakdown necessary? The play is named Ferrari which was Louis Riddick nick-named Patrick Mahomes in 2018, the Chiefs have really leaned into the fun play call names. Even more awesome is that Nate Taylor mentioned in his story this week on the Athletic- that Mahomes actually had the idea for QB pre-snap motion and him and head coach Andy Reid installed it together. The execution is excellent and it’s comical to watch the entire defense take a step in the wrong direction to follow Mahomes’ motion.
Daniel Sorensen Seals it with an Interception
Breakdown: While Chiefs fans look back at this game and think dominance, truth be told the game was still very much in question when Sorenson picked off Josh Allen. Sorenson makes a terrific play on the ball and steals the pass from Josh Allen and Bashaud Breeland as well. The Bills victory might be the second strongest win on the Chiefs record especially after the Bills dismantled the Seahawks last week.
Tyrann Mathieu Pick-6
Breakdown: The Patriots aren’t the Patriots of old, but it will never get old watching them lose, especially with poor quarterback play. This game was incredibly odd being played on a Monday afternoon after getting delayed by a positive Cam Newton Covid test. Likewise, the game was odd cause the offense never felt like it was able to break away. Mathieu sniffs out the dump off by Jared Stidham and snatches the ball away from Julian Edelman and takes it to the house. The was the last breath of the Patriots in the game and maybe even their season.
Butker Wins it… 3 Times
Breakdown: This highlight seems especially fond now that Butker has been very streaky since. Butker made 3 great kicks in this game including the game winning 58 yard field goal twice. This was a key victory to start the Chiefs off 1-0 in the division and to hand the Chargers their first loss in their new stadium.
Mahomes to Hill
Breakdown: It feels a little odd to have two highlights from a game that the Super Bowl Champs defeated a team with a total of 2 wins on the season thus far. However, this game provided quite a test for the Chiefs offense. Mahomes was under strong pressure the whole game and it seemed like the offense was just stuck in the mud of the Chargers defense. This play felt similar to Wasp in the Super Bowl, it was finally the big chunk play the Chiefs needed. Especially similar because of the 49’ers defense being modeled after the same scheme as the Chargers.
Mecole Hardman, Touchdown v Ravens
Breakdown: The Ravens game was the match of the year for many NFL fans MVP vs. MVP, the AFC Championship preview. Instead, the Chiefs made it a snoozer quickly by destroying the Ravens blitz and taking advantage of Marcus Peters. Andy Reid schemed a out route for Tyreek Hill that Marcus Peters recognized and jumped his coverage of Mecole Hardman. Leaving Hardman 1-on-1 with the safety with no help. Mahomes sold the route with his eyes and took a deep drop to fire the ball to Hardman over the top.
Mahomes: 1st to Make it to 100
Breakdown: Patrick Mahomes became the quickest quarterback to reach 100 touchdown passes in NFL history. He also completed this feat with the fewest career interceptions with just 19. For reference the next best 100 TD to interception ratio is Aaron Rodgers at 34. Not only was this a record breaking play but it also is a great on the field play. Mahomes to Hill is quickly becoming one of the best QB-WR combos with many more years to come.
Catch and Release
Breakdown: Big guy touchdowns are always the best, and this play is number 1 for many reasons. First, it’s the perfect name for Eric Fisher as the primary target of the play. Second, the execution is excellent. Mahomes has to throw the ball high to avoid the pressure and Fisher is able to go up and get the ball with sure hands. Lastly the situation was high leverage. The Ravens had finally gotten some momentum going in this game and it was a one possession game. Offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy got passionate on the sideline challenging the offense to get back out and score again against the Chiefs biggest threat at the time. This play gave them back a two possession lead and really put the nail in the coffin for the Ravens.
Price Carter — ArrowheadOne
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