In the world of American football, there are legends who leave a lasting impact long after they retire. One such legend is Ed Reed, who hung up his cleats more than a decade ago in 2015. It’s a time that feels like eons ago, especially considering that current NFL stars like Patrick Mahomes hadn’t even been drafted yet when Reed was still suiting up. Mahomes, the two-time NFL MVP, entered the league in 2017, well after Reed’s time.
But just because Reed never faced off against Mahomes on the field doesn’t mean he hasn’t been studying the young quarterback’s game. After all, Reed is a Hall of Famer and one of the greatest defensive backs in NFL history. If anyone can crack the code to slowing down Mahomes, it could very well be Reed.
During a recent appearance on Up & Adams, Reed shared some insights into how to neutralize Mahomes’ effectiveness on the field. “His weakness is his targets that he likes to go to from my perspective,” Reed explained. “It’s not hard to figure that out. You like to throw the ball to certain people. So that’s one of ’em for me. I’m going to exploit that. I’m gonna stay around that guy. I’m that guy. He’s that guy. And you want to throw to him, you gotta throw to me. You gotta throw around me too. You know, in that situation, you gotta understand the situations when you playing these games, schematically and all that to put yourself in position when you know he’s looking for that guy.”
In essence, Reed’s strategy boils down to identifying Mahomes’ favorite targets and making sure to stick close to them on the field. It sounds simple, yet it’s an approach that could prove effective in containing the explosive Chiefs offense led by Mahomes.
Interestingly, Reed didn’t divulge this information to his former team, the Baltimore Ravens, before they faced off against Mahomes and his top target, Travis Kelce, in last year’s AFC Championship game. The duo managed to connect for 116 yards and a crucial touchdown, leading the Chiefs to victory over the Ravens.
So, as the football world continues to dissect Mahomes’ game and search for ways to stop him, perhaps we should all take a page from Ed Reed’s playbook and focus on shutting down his preferred targets. It may be a simple strategy, but as Reed has shown, sometimes the simplest approach can be the most effective.
