01-24-2022, 02:31 PM
OK, given that taking a knee is the player giving himself up (likely need for safety reasons), it's conceivable a squib kick could be caught at like the 35 yard line with a second going off the clock as returner kneels.
That wouldn't be any better than a touchback and ball at 25.
But the thing is the idea is to make the ball bounce and be difficult to catch or pickup cleanly. It's possible someone could go to grab ball, not catch it, and struggle to pick it up, especially with onrushing kick coverage trying to get the ball. That would use up 3 seconds at least, likely more, and there is also chance of kicking team recovering the ball.
I think the Bills underestimated the significance of KC having 3 timeouts with 13 seconds in case of touchback. The best decision was a squib kick because it was the only scenario that could take time off the clock, and the only one that allowed Bills to potentially come up with the ball. The worst case scenario of ball being grabbed cleanly and being kneeled around the KC 35 or 40 was not that likely.
Still, the defense the Bills played was really foolish. Think of what happens if they rush 2 and drop 9 in coverage. No way Mahomes could find the open receiver and deliver the ball without taking 3 a few seconds just to decide where to throw it. And, the receivers would have been tackled a lot faster and gained a lot fewer yards too. Instead, they rushed 4, dropped 7, and played them 15 yards off the LOS.
It was shades of what the Niners did against Cowboys last week, only they led by 6 and boys had no timeouts. I don't like yielding a lot of yards that easily. Niners and Bills both did. Didn't cost the Niners, but sure did the Bills.
That wouldn't be any better than a touchback and ball at 25.
But the thing is the idea is to make the ball bounce and be difficult to catch or pickup cleanly. It's possible someone could go to grab ball, not catch it, and struggle to pick it up, especially with onrushing kick coverage trying to get the ball. That would use up 3 seconds at least, likely more, and there is also chance of kicking team recovering the ball.
I think the Bills underestimated the significance of KC having 3 timeouts with 13 seconds in case of touchback. The best decision was a squib kick because it was the only scenario that could take time off the clock, and the only one that allowed Bills to potentially come up with the ball. The worst case scenario of ball being grabbed cleanly and being kneeled around the KC 35 or 40 was not that likely.
Still, the defense the Bills played was really foolish. Think of what happens if they rush 2 and drop 9 in coverage. No way Mahomes could find the open receiver and deliver the ball without taking 3 a few seconds just to decide where to throw it. And, the receivers would have been tackled a lot faster and gained a lot fewer yards too. Instead, they rushed 4, dropped 7, and played them 15 yards off the LOS.
It was shades of what the Niners did against Cowboys last week, only they led by 6 and boys had no timeouts. I don't like yielding a lot of yards that easily. Niners and Bills both did. Didn't cost the Niners, but sure did the Bills.