Despite the Kansas City Chiefs’ impressive 15-2 record, many consider it to be one of the most uneventful seasons in recent memory. They didn’t blow anybody out, but it always felt like a K.C. win was inevitable no matter the situation. That feeling only grows when Patrick Mahomes and company take the field for the postseason. However, former NFL MVP Cam Newton isn’t feeling the fright this year.
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Newton made the argument that this 2024 edition of the Chiefs is less intimidating than the units they’ve put out in recent years. The former Carolina Panthers QB also said that this version of Mahomes isn’t as good as he was in previous seasons when he was a consistent Pro Bowler and a contender for MVP.
“Patrick Mahomes is not even being mentioned in the MVP race, when has that happened? Patrick Mahomes is not even in Pro Bowl contention, when has that happened?… This is not the same Patrick Mahomes team that we’re used to… The Kansas City Chiefs look beatable, more than they have in recent years.”
Newton is spot on. Mahomes was a Pro Bowler in each of his first six seasons as a starter, and he received MVP votes in four of those. However, Mahomes has had subpar statistical seasons before, particularly in the 2019 campaign, and the Chiefs still went on to win the Super Bowl that year.
That begs the question: Is a slightly lower-quality version of Mahomes enough to make the Chiefs beatable in the playoffs? It largely depends on the opposing teams and their ability to exploit any weaknesses in the Chiefs’ game.
Chiefs have less talent around Mahomes this year
What many are probably thinking is that Patrick Mahomes didn’t regress this year, he simply had a rough cast of supporting characters with him. Hollywood Brown and Rashee Rice missed most of the season, DeAndre Hopkins was a 32-year-old midseason addition, Travis Kelce can only come out of the garage once in a while, and Isiah Pacheco missed several months.
It was not an ideal situation for any quarterback, and yet Mahomes continued to do what he does: stack Ws for K.C. Stephen A. Smith pointed out that Mahomes has done more with less this season, and said that Newton, as a former QB himself, should have noticed that.
“You tell me. You see what he’s playing with. You see what injuries they’ve incurred this year. You see some of the hiccups they’ve had. Are you telling me that you look at a Patrick Mahomes and you see a brother that’s lost his skills? I don’t see that? You seeing that?”
After some hilarious posturing, both Smith and Newton agreed that they didn’t see any slippage in Mahomes’ play this year. It’s simply the numbers that have been down. Mahomes has already shown—twice—that he can win a Super Bowl with subpar weapons. The return of Hollywood and Pacheco will only strengthen the Chiefs’ offense.
The Chiefs should be able to get by the Texans, though they keep it close in the playoffs, so don’t expect a blowout. But after that, Lamar Jackson or Josh Allen will be waiting. Jackson’s Ravens, in particular, could spell trouble for Mahomes and his threepeat aspirations. As of this writing, K.C. has +350 odds—2nd on the leaderboard behind the Detroit Lions—to win Super Bowl 59.
