Lions coach Matt Patricia was asked this week whether he would prefer to see Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes in or out of the pocket during Sunday's game in Detroit.
A small smile appeared on Patricia's face.
"Yeah, probably neither," Patricia said. "I think right now what you're seeing on tape is you're seeing him extremely efficient. On the sidelines is probably where I'd like to see him the most."
The Lions rank 10th in the NFL in time of possession, holding the ball for an average of 31 minutes, 55 seconds per game. Of course, the Ravens lead the league in that statistic and that didn't help Baltimore last Sunday in a 33-28 loss to the Chiefs.
One of the Chiefs' scores was an 83-yard touchdown pass from Patrick Mahomes to Mecole Hardman.
Patricia is aware of what Mahomes and the offense can do.
"He's just really good," Patricia said. "I mean, he's a really good young player, this guy's, man, every single play, it's extremely dangerous. He can get that thing downfield. He does a great job with just controlling (the ball). There's an element to this offense that's definitely a ball-control passing game, going back to the West Coast system, which Andy (Reid) has obviously in his background, but he's incorporated a lot of the vertical stretch too, and then mixing the spread offense like you see a lot in college. (Reid has) kind of adapted all that for his guys.
"But (Mahomes) has a great job with the control passing game and just kind of taking those yardages that you'll give them and being real patient and all sudden he's gonna launch one downfield. ... It's just such a dangerous offense to try to defend against. They really make you cover everything both horizontally and vertically. That's the biggest thing that they do."
Lions quarterback Quandre Diggs said one false step can cost a defense against the Chiefs, and Detroit would need its track shoes to keep up with Kansas City's speedy receivers.
"Man, they're deadly," Diggs said. "You see the offense those guys go on. Pat has been working that offense since college days. So, you know, that's just something that he's used to and I'm just ready to go out and compete. ...
"He does everything. The way he can throw the ball, the way he can just make the no-look passes, the sidearm throws, the contested throws in a tight window, his arm strength that he has to throw the ball down the field. You know, that's why he's the MVP, that's just what he is. And that's what he plays like each and every week."
Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford noted the Lions had a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in Sunday's win at Philadelphia. Trying to match the Chiefs score for score won't necessarily be the offense's goal.
"The goal is obviously to try and have more (points) than they have at the end of the game and however you get them, you know, we'll take them. Last week, we had a kick return that went to the house. That counts. Any way you can get points against a team like this, the better," Stafford said.
Stafford added that ball control is important as long as drives don't always end in punts.
"Yeah, it does you no good to hold the ball and not score," Stafford said. "You've got to score points, points are at a premium every time we go out on the field, especially against a team that can put up points in a heartbeat, like these guys can. So you know, it's a big challenge for us really in all phases of our of our team to come out and have a good game."
