The Chiefs continued their perfect start to the season with a 22-17 win over the Falcons today. However, it wasn’t as dominating a performance as the fans were expecting from the defending champions. Kansas City has managed to get over the line in all three games but they are yet to bring out their A-game, especially Patrick Mahomes who admitted to not being at the top of his game.
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During the post-match press conference, the 2-time MVP raved about his team’s ability to grind out the results but confessed that him and his team, particularly the offense, have struggled at times. The 3x Super Bowl champion pointed out that he needs to get back to the basics to weed out some of the issues he has been facing this season.
“We haven’t played good all three games. We’ve been able to win which speaks to the character of the team, the grit. I’ll speak especially offensively and myself, I feel like I haven’t played very well. That’s not the stat thing. I just feel like I’m missing opportunities whenever they’re out there. Not throwing the ball to the exact spot where I wanted to,” Mahomes said.
Mahomes, this season is yet to crack the 300-yard barrier. He has thrown for less than 700 yards, along with five TDs. Moreover, he has turned the ball over 4 times in just three games and has a passer rating of 89.9. This seems like a continuation of the trend from the last season when he threw a career-high 14 interceptions. Patrick believes it’s time to execute the offensive game plan at a higher level.
Mahomes’ throwing mechanism and arm talent have been lauded by many. However, he doesn’t have the strongest of arms to just throw it and hope that it doesn’t get picked off or fall short. He admitted to doing that on too many occasions which led to interceptions and misses.
Mahomes reckons he is trusting his arm too much
Mahomes believes it’s time to refocus on the fundamentals and elevate his game. Acknowledging his shortcomings this season, he emphasized the need to improve his footwork and rely more on his mental sharpness and strength than just his arm talent. He admitted to leaning too heavily on his arm and attempting to ‘wing’ his throws.
The 2-time MVP explained that he experiences these challenges every year, though typically not this early in the season. He stressed the importance of working on himself to help the entire offense improve.
“I think just footwork stuff. I’ve got to get my base right. I think I’m trusting my arm too much on some of those throws. Even the first throw of the game, I just kind of flicked it – kind of off-balance – and don’t hit Rashee (Rice) going down the seam there. I’ve got to get back to my fundamentals,” Mahomes stated.
The run game however didn’t suffer without Isiah Pacheco, with Carson Steele, Samaje Perine, Mahomes, Worthy, and even Rice all pitching in to account for 128 rushing yards. Rashee Rice had another outstanding game, amassing 110 yards on 12 receptions.
On the other hand, Kelce had another below-average game, pitching in with just 30 yards on 4 catches. The defense like the last season, did its job. These are still early days but there is a need for a lot of improvement if the Chiefs want to script history at the end of the season.
