All eight episodes of Netflix’s “Quarterback” — the docuseries that followed Patrick Mahomes, Kirk Cousins, and Marcus Mariota during the 2022 NFL campaign — dropped on Monday. Netflix could hardly have selected three more disparate signal-callers to chronicle: Mahomes won league MVP and the Super Bowl, Cousins earned a playoff berth with the Vikings but didn’t advance, and Mariota lost his starting job by the end of the season.
Let’s run through the top moments from the series, beginning with Mahomes’ battles against a familiar AFC West foe.
The Best Moments From Netflix’s ‘Quarterback’ Docuseries
Patrick Mahomes vs. Maxx Crosby
Mahomes has been facing Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby since the latter entered the league in 2019, and Quarterback gave us a glimpse inside the pair’s AFC West rivalry. Crosby took Mahomes down several times in Week 4, leading the Chiefs QB to explain the pass rusher’s mentality.
“There’s always mind games that you play in the NFL,” Mahomes said. “He was trying to do whatever he could to kind get in my head. A little push or a little shove. Wrap me up and hold me a little extra longer.”
After Crosby hit him yet again, Mahomes was clearly perturbed.
“Come on, dawg,” Mahomes told Crosby. “I know what you’re doing, but just chill out a little bit, you know? Don’t just punch me for no reason, dawg. I understand you touching me, but don’t punch me, bro.”
After the Chiefs scored a touchdown, Mahomes let Crosby know about it, repeatedly telling the Raiders defender that he “woke up the wrong (expletive).”
“Whenever coach (Andy) Reid has to grab you and pull you aside, that’s when you know you’re going too far,” Mahomes said later. “He’s usually all for letting your personality show.”
Kirk Cousins Has a Shelf Reserved for a Lombardi Trophy
In Episode 2, Cousins took viewers behind the scenes of his Michigan home, where he has a “memory room” that displays all of his football memorabilia and awards. The room is hidden behind a Murphy door, as Cousins thought it would be too “self-promotional” for his wares to be public.
Cousins has items dating back to his youth football days when Mike Singletary was his flag football coach in fourth and fifth grade. He also showed off a photo with the “real” Captain Kirk — William Shatner — and a letter where his father told him he could one day become an all-state high school quarterback.
But Cousins is also saving room for another celebratory memento. Per Cousins, the builder of his home put in a shelf where a Super Bowl trophy could eventually be housed. “He built the notch,” Cousins said. “Now it’s my job to go get one.”
Marcus Mariota Explains His End-of-Season Departure
Mariota infamously left the Falcons after being benched for rookie quarterback Desmond Ridder near the end of the season, but there always appeared to be more to the story. Mariota, who had just welcomed a new baby, decided to undergo surgery on his meniscus.
“I don’t know why it had to be that narrative,” Mariota said, referencing the idea that he had quit on his team. “You know, I gave everything I had to this team. I thought I was making a good decision for everybody.”
It’s easy to relate to Mariota, who clearly wanted to spend more time with his child, was dealing with an injury, and had just lost his job. Falcons head coach Arthur Smith said that Mariota didn’t mention the possibility of surgery before leaving the team but expressed no ill will.
“I love Marcus,” Smith said. “Thankful that I got to spend more time with him. People look at them (NFL players), and they think they’re robots. They wear a helmet, that they’re these modern-day gladiators. But there’s life outside this building. He gave us everything he had.”
Mahomes Explains Down How To Spot a Blitzer
Mahomes’ physical talents are a part of what makes him the NFL’s best signal-caller, but he’s obviously an excellent mental processor, too. Film study is a significant part of Mahomes’ routine, and in Episode 4, viewers got to watch him break down how to identify an opposing blitzer from the slot.
“The guy is blitzing. How can I get a tell from that guy?” Mahomes said while highlighting the Chargers’ nickel back. “When he’s blitzing, how’s he lined up differently? What’s his body language say?
“I might look at, well, if they’re blitzing, maybe the D tackle’s tighter because he has to get to his position. Maybe the defensive end has to tighten down his position or get a little wider to give a window for the guy to blitz through.”
Mahomes then explained that when the offense sent a receiver in motion, no one on the defense moved, signaling a “zone-ish” coverage. The slot defender doesn’t react to any of the movement, which indicates he’s probably blitzing.
“Another thing, while he blitzes, the defensive end on the other side drops,” Mahomes said. “They don’t want to drop (Joey) Bosa, No. 97, they want him pressuring. So if you see No. 8, (Kyle) Van Noy, even though he’s a good pass rusher, you know that he has the ability to drop in coverage. You combine that with how the nickel is aligned, you can change your protection to get those guys picked up and blocked.”
Cousins Forgets a Play Call
NFL play calls can get incredibly wordy, and even an intelligent quarterback like Cousins is prone to forgetting a few words. Playing against the Cardinals in Week 8, Cousins couldn’t remember a route call, but it ultimately didn’t matter.
“…Fourteen, F-sift, Z-ghost, Y-whatever,” Cousins barked out, lacking the name for tight end Johnny Mundt’s route.
“I got into the play calling it, and I forget the term we had for Johnny’s route, which was the route on the play,” Cousins said. “Johnny was No. 1 and supposed to get the ball. I completely blanked because it was new that week.
“I had called everything else, so everybody in the huddle knew it’s that play. Kirk doesn’t even have to say the term. So I just blacked out, and I said, ‘Y-whatever.'” Mundt scored a one-yard touchdown in what became a Vikings 34-26 win.
Behind the Scenes of Mahomes’ Ankle Injury
Mahomes infamously suffered a high ankle sprain against the Jaguars in the Divisional Round of the playoffs. Quarterback gave us an up-close look at what was happening on the sidelines. Mahomes initially stayed in the game for a few plays before Reid told him he needed to go to the locker room for an X-ray.
“No! (Expletive) no, I’m good,” Mahomes said. “… Not a chance … I have one more drive at least … No way. No. I’ll do it at halftime. I’m good. There’s no (expletive) way. No way.”
Mahomes eventually relented and headed to the locker room, where a high ankle sprain was confirmed. After backup Chad Henne completed the rest of the first half (and led the Chiefs on a touchdown drive), Mahomes returned for the third quarter. He told Reid not to worry about his ankle and not to “be afraid to a call a deep shot.”
Mahomes Breaks Down 2 Super Bowl Plays
Mahomes re-injured his ankle during the Super Bowl but still managed to walk away with the Lombardi Trophy after defeating the Eagles. In Quarterback, Mahomes broke down two intriguing play calls, beginning with Kadarius Toney’s five-yard touchdown near the start of the fourth quarter.
“Coach Reid sometimes calls run plays (on third down) knowing we’ll go for it on fourth down,” Mahomes said. “So he called that play, but it also has a pass option. They always tell me, if it’s there, just take it.
“Originally, I was probably gonna hand the ball off, knowing we’d have a fourth-down scenario. But the way we’d drawn it up, it worked perfectly like it had done in practice all week long. (The Eagles) tried to pass off the motion, which they’re really good at doing, but we hadn’t shown the fake motion and back out.”
Mahomes analyzed another fourth-quarter play in which offensive lineman Andrew Wylie was an eligible receiver and the intended target. Kansas City used its “Snow Globe/Ring Around the Rosie” formation before heading to the line of scrimmage, which was supposed to take the attention off Wylie.
“Then I remember right before the play, No. 22 pointed right at Wylie and was like, ‘Hey, I got him,’ and I was like, ‘Well, this play is definitely not going to work.'”
Mahomes aborted the attempt and threw the ball through the end zone. Receiver Skyy Moore scored on the next play, giving the Chiefs a 35-27 lead.
