Lessons the Las Vegas Raiders can learn from the Chiefs in Super Bowl LV

Pressuring Patrick Mahomes is the key to beating Kansas City

It’s not rocket science that because of his offensive line issues, Patrick Mahomes was not nearly as effective as he has been all season. Pressure bursts pipes as they say and in the case of the Chiefs, their pipes were bursting all night long thanks to the ferocious Tampa front four.

According to ESPN, Mahomes was pressured 29 times while Brady could have had a picnic in his backfield before throwing downfield. The Tampa defense was able to shut down the Chiefs offense with this pressure and it was very familiar with what the Raiders did in Week 5 of this year.

In the Week 5 victory over Kansas City, the Raiders were able to generate 23 pressures on Patrick Mahomes, largely with their front four, and the outcome was remarkable. He was sacked three times and only completed 50% of his passes and threw his first interception of the season.

It was a blueprint for beating Mahomes but it requires great execution and is not replicable without the right personnel.

Fast forward to the Week 11 loss where the Las Vegas Raiders were without Clelin Ferrell, who had either nine to five pressures depending on who you ask but the difference was clear. The Raiders mustered just seven pressures and Mahomes completed 75% of his passes on his way to a 35-31 victory.

If the Raiders are going to keep up or overtake the Chiefs, they will need to build up a pass rush that has struggled mightily in recent years. They can hope to outscore the Chiefs in a shootout in every matchup but the clearer path to success is to pressure Mahomes and keep him from finding his groove just like the Raiders did in Week 5 and just like Tampa Bay did in the Super Bowl.