Coming into the 2022 NFL season, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes had two problems to solve. The first was the mastodon in the room: How would Mahomes, head coach Andy Reid, and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy create explosive plays in the passing game without Tyreek Hill, who had been traded to the Dolphins?
The second, and perhaps more important question: How could Mahomes, Reid, and Bieniemy transcend Mahomes’ issues against two-deep coverage? Those issues were discussed ad nauseam during and after the 2021 season, but for good reason. Last season, including the playoffs, Mahomes faced two-deep coverage (Cover-2, 2-Man, Cover-4, and Cover-6) on a league-high 389 dropbacks, completing 215 of 332 passes for 2,532 yards, 1,401 air yards, nine touchdowns, nine interceptions, and a passer rating of 85.6, which ranked 10th in the league.
