“Last year they caught us a little off guard with the coverages they played at the beginning of the game,” Mahomes said of the Chiefs’ overtime loss to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game. “We made adjustments and were able to score points later in the game, but you want to make sure that you’re just preparing for everything. You know that [the Titans have] a good defense. They do a lot of different things, play a lot of man, play a lot of zone and so you know they’re going to throw different coverages out there against you.”

The Chiefs were the NFL’s highest-scoring team in the 2018 regular season but were shut out in the first half of the championship game when the Patriots blanketed Mahomes’ receivers with man-to-man coverage. The Chiefs eventually adjusted and came back to take the lead on the Patriots before losing in overtime.

Falling behind 14-0 at halftime again is something Mahomes and the Chiefs are trying to avoid.

Succeeding against man coverage is an area where Mahomes and the Chiefs have improved since early this season. In the first seven games, Mahomes threw against man coverage 69% of the time, according to NFL Next Gen Stats, and had a QBR of 65, a completion rate of 58% and a touchdown rate of 3.6% on those throws.

Since he returned from his knee injury in Week 10, Mahomes has a QBR of 77 against man coverage, a completion rate of 62% and a TD rate of 8.3%. Mahomes threw four touchdown passes in last week’s divisional round win over the Houston Texans.

“They played quite a bit of man, almost every snap,” coach Andy Reid said of the Texans. “Our guys have battled through it. I think we’ve gotten better at releases. … I think we’ve done a better job coaching it. I’ll take responsibility for that. We’ve spent a lot of time at that. The faults were my problem. … Changed some things up and got it straightened out.”

The Chiefs are now confident against any coverage.

“The second year in the NFL is a tough year for quarterbacks, a tough, tough year,” Reid said. “There are some great minds in the National Football League that are coaching the defensive side of the ball. They have a whole year, offseason, to study, and they’re going to come back with their absolute best against you and he answered it and he did it through some adversity with injuries or players that weren’t playing, whatever it might be.

“He didn’t flinch. He kept the same attitude, the same work ethic, and he went after it. He had a major injury that he pushed through where the coaches and the trainers and the doctors all had to back him off.”

Mahomes played through three significant injuries this season, though only the dislocated kneecap prevented him from playing in a game. He missed 2½ games in the middle of the season.

The Chiefs had a rash of other offensive injuries as well. Hill missed four games early in the season and the Chiefs were forced to start five different offensive line combinations.

The Chiefs scored 114 fewer points than in 2018 but had their highest-scoring game of the season last week when they tallied 51.

“He’s learning how to win when things aren’t perfect,” offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy said of Mahomes. “Now he’s making plays with his feet in the pocket. He’s making a call at the line of scrimmage and giving us an opportunity to pick up pressure from a late-rotating safety.

“Don’t get me wrong: You always want to see those games where we can have 400, 500 yards passing and a lot of points. But you have to know how to win when things aren’t perfect.”

Mahomes in 2018 threw 50 touchdown passes and for more than 5,000 yards during the regular season, becoming only the second player in NFL history to accomplish the feat. This season, his touchdowns were down to 26 and his yards down to 4,031.

But his interceptions also were down, from 12 last season to five.

“Understanding Coach Reid’s game plan and knowing the big plays are going to come,” Mahomes said in explanation. “He’s going to dial up the plays where you can take the shots. Having the experience of more and more games, I really understand that more now. I obviously want to go for the big shot with all the speed and playmakers we have on the field but just let it come to you and not force it.

“In general I’m more prepared just [because of] the experience I’ve had this year. I still feel there are times where the defense gets me. But that happens. … Whenever I get an unscouted look, I’m able to fall back on stuff I’ve done in my short career and hopefully I’ll keep building that memory as I go.”

Gates later faced Saban’s Miami Dolphins in the NFL. He finished with 13 catches for 123 yards and a touchdown in a 23-21 loss during the 2005 season. The two met in the middle of the field afterward.

“He asked me after the game, ‘What did you think about that choice for football?'” Gates said. “The guy was a genius. He told me I was a first-round pick. I didn’t believe it in a sense. I just wanted to play the game of basketball.”

Gates’ choice proved Hall of Fame worthy. After 16 seasons, all with the Chargers, Gates retired this week.

Considering his numbers, he was among the best to play the position. He’s No. 3 among tight ends for total receptions (955) and receiving yards (11,841), behind Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez and Jason Witten.

Gates ranks first in league history among tight ends with 21 career multi-touchdown games and fourth in the NFL with 21 100-yard receiving efforts. His 39 touchdown receptions on third down are the most in league history for a tight end and tied with Hall of Fame wide receiver Cris Carter for No. 3 overall.

According to Gates, what set him apart was his ability to get in the end zone. He ended up with 116 career touchdowns, tops for a tight end in NFL history.

every. single. td. pic.twitter.com/OP28zWTJBV

— Los Angeles Chargers (@Chargers) January 17, 2020

Throughout his career, Gates was nearly impossible to guard in the red zone. According to ESPN Stats & Information research, 92 of Gates’ touchdowns came in the red zone — second all time and most of any player since he entered the league in 2003.

To hear him tell it, what made Gates unique was his ability to create separation with the precise body control developed on the hardwood floor as a smallish, wide-bodied, low-post player at Kent State.

Gates points to his basketball acumen for his unique ability to get open in the red zone, using soft hands and leverage to create separation against linebackers or safeties, or sometimes both.

“As I evolved to become the red zone threat, I noticed that every other team had started looking for red zone threats at that position,” Gates said when asked to make his case for the Hall of Fame. “That would be the majority of my case. The thing that I’ve always had in terms of respect is more respect from defensive coordinators than any other tight end in the history of the game.

“I’ve watched film on tight ends. I’ve watched film on all of them. I can recall playing a team and they did something, then when they played the Chargers, they didn’t quite do it the same. I feel like there was a ton of respect.

“For the most part, I was always faced with a defensive back. It was very rare that I got the opportunity to go up against a linebacker. Very rare. … Anytime I look at who’s the best or who is considered to be in the Hall of Fame, I consider the level of respect that coordinators or teams gave that particular person. That’s how I would like to be judged. That’s how I would explain it to [selectors] in Canton.”