1. True Leader – What an effort from Patrick Mahomes after spraining his ankle.  He is a true warrior and a fighter, and his will to win is like no other.  Jacksonville put up a big fight and should be proud of themselves for their effort.  The Chiefs even without Tyreek Hill are very dangerous and can beat you in many ways.  Even when Mahomes is limited he has several weapons he can use.  Mahomes is not 100% and won’t be for the game on Sunday but we do know that Chad Henne is a very viable backup.  He led the Chiefs on a 98 yard drive to score a TD.

2. Philly Special –  Philly is special and to think the Giants had a chance in this game.  I learned that Philly is going to be awfully tough to beat in their stadium.  Even an extremely talented 49ers team might have a challenge.  On the first play of the game, Jalen Hurts threw the ball on a rope to DeVonta Smith.  From there on out it was total domination.  That stadium will be packed on Sunday and I believe it will give Brock Purdy problems and he will get rattled.  Eagles all the way in that game.

3. Burrow Pride – Joe Burrow might be the most talented QB left of the four teams. Yes I am putting him above Mahomes. His pocket presence is impressive and he seems to be getting better each game.  Against a talented Chiefs team this is sure to be a classic.  Joe Burrow will have to play like he did last game for them to have a chance. 

4. Dak to Dallas –  Dak needed to be the man in this game and he fell way short.  He threw 2 INT’s and got out played by a third string quarterback.  Granted SF’s defense is top in the league but Dak wasn’t the answer.  For as much as he’s getting paid, he should be putting up 3-5 TD’s a game.  We keep waiting for Purdy to choke and play bad and it just hasn’t happened yet.  His toughest test will be this week in Philly.  The Philly pass rush is for real and he will have a hard time hearing anything.  I believe this is the week where we see why he was picked last in the draft. 

The post What We Learned in the Divisional Round appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Jake Rajala

The Pittsburgh Steelers legendary head coach Mike Tomlin may wish to pardon his quarterback Mason Rudolph – who is honestly too talented to be a third-string QB. According to Pro Football Rumors, Rudolph is even drawing trade interest around the league. Of course, the confusing Mitchell Trubisky and the shiny Kenny Pickett stand above Rudolph at QB. Hence, it may be wise for Tomlin to acknowledge that he has two more potent signal-callers than Rudolph and capitalize off the current (and potentially last-ever value) of Rudolph by trading him away. With that said, I’m going to untwine five potential trade destinations for Rudolph.

New York Jets

The New York Jets need to finally admit that Joe Flacco shouldn’t be the plan B at QB for the second straight year. I would love to see the Jets bring in the 27-year-old QB in Pittsburgh. He may show more flashes with more reps in the Big Apple, especially when he is surrounded by the Jets very underrated weapons (such as Corey Davis, Garrett Wilson, and Elijah Mitchell). Plus, Rudolph may blossom and be the Jets starting QB in 2023 if Zach Wilson doesn’t be a consistent lethal starting QB.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

I don’t love the Tampa Bay Buccaneers long-term outlook at the QB spot, to say the least. After the GOAT of all sports, also known as Tom Brady, officially retires, the Bucs will have a ton of talent on the roster and a question mark at QB1. It’s extremely pivotal that the reigning NFC South champions don’t waste the talent on their roster by sending an iffy starting QB onto the field. The Bucs should make an intuitive decision by acquiring Rudolph as soon as possible.

Detroit Lions

The Detroit Lions have made sneaky, quality moves this off-season and I believe they should keep their foot on the pedal. The Lions have an un-sung QB in Jared Goff, but they should really upgrade the QB2 spot. After all, Goff missed two games last season and one contest the season prior. The Lions should contemplate bringing in the reindeer-like QB ahead of Week 1.

Kansas City Chiefs

Chad Henne may be annoyingly good, but let’s be honest – the Chiefs need an upgrade (and a younger face) at the QB2 spot. The Kansas City Chiefs ultra-gifted QB Patrick Mahomes has had injury issues: two missed games in 2019 and one missed match-up in 2020. The Chiefs may want to send a late-round pick to the Steelers for a face that could be the back-up to Mahomes for a long time.

Houston Texans

Davis Mills, who is more than a big neck, had a seriously underrated rookie campaign. Nonetheless, it’s unclear if he can ascend in year two in Houston. It would be wise for HOU to add another talented, young profile in Rudolph. The QB from Oklahoma State University could be enticed about potentially garnering the keys to the offense in a Texans uniform.

The post 5 potential trade destinations for Mason Rudolph appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Jake Rajala

The Kansas City Chiefs are not taking the gas off the pedal without Tyreek Hill & the Honey Badger. Patrick Mahomes and his new-look squad will strive to return to the Super Bowl in the upcoming season. The first look at the glorious Chiefs depth chart was recently released. With that said, I’m going to untwine five takeaways from the Chiefs first depth chart.

Jerick McKinnon

Jerick McKinnon, also known as “Jet”, turned heads in the latest playoff gauntlet: 150 rushing yds and 165 receiving yards. McKinnon is dubbed as the RB2 (behind Clyde Edwards Helaire) and sitting in front of Ronald Jones. R-Jo may ascend above McKinnon as he gets acclimated to the system, but I certainly believe McKinnon should shine as an all-purpose RB (at least early) in 2022.

Josh Gordon

The soon-to-be HOF LT Joe Thomas once wanted his team to just sit back and throw hail marys to Josh Gordon. Well, it’s safe to say that Gordon regressed after being one of the top WRs in the NFL. Nonetheless, Gordon is hungry and thankful for an opportunity w/ the Chiefs at this stage in his career. Per The Athletic, Gordon has sadly been struggling in camp thus far.

He did sign with the Chiefs practice squad last season, so it would make a ton of sense for him to return to their PC if he doesn’t stay on the 53-man roster.

Chad Henne

It was seen by many Chiefs & NFL fans as a bit of a surprise when KC brought back the 37-year-old Chad Henne. Henne is currently slotted as the QB2 on the Chiefs. He may not (obviously) have a high ceiling, but he has superb knowledge of the scheme and he can take care of the football.

Mecole Hardman

The utterly explosive skill player Mecole Hardman was benched as the Chiefs punt returner last season, but he is pegged as the starting PR at this point. The polarizing rookie WR Skyy Moore is labeled as the KR3 and PR3, but it seems like Hardman’s job to lose at this point.

Justin Reid

The Chiefs made a bold move to move on from Tyrann Mathieu and link up with the former Stanford safety Justin Reid. Reid (somehow) made a 65-yard field goal in practice. So, it’s safe to say the Chiefs have a fine emergency kicker in Reid. Although, they will need him to make more impressive Ints and feel comfortable with the coverages this off-season. He will surely be tested by the mega-arm QB Justin Herbert and the deep-passing legend Russell Wilson in 2022.

The post 5 takeaways from the Kansas City Chiefs depth chart appeared first on Pro Football Mania.