Adam Teicher, ESPN Personnel Editor
ON SATURDAY, THE Kansas City Chiefs opened the postseason the similar means they’d in each one in every of quarterback Patrick Mahomes‘ earlier 5 seasons as their foundation quarterback: With a match at Arrowhead Stadium.
However how they arrived there was once a lot other.
The Chiefs didn’t carry with them their familiar passing assault and high-scoring offense that was once in a position to intimidating combatants. In lieu, they completed the usual season fifteenth in scoring.
The Chiefs led the league in dropped passes (38), had been 2nd in offensive consequences and 9th in handovers. Mahomes has at all times been requested to shoulder a big burden, however by no means up to this season.
Mahomes had some signature moments this season, none higher than his 424-yard, four-touchdown match towards the Los Angeles Chargers in Era 7. He conquered the sub-zero temperatures, gusty winds and the Miami Dolphins protection utmost weekend within the wild-card spherical, throwing for 262 yards and a landing in prominent the Chiefs to the divisional spherical.
However the late-game witchcraft he’s well-known for by no means materialized this season. The Chiefs misplaced 5 video games via one rating, and so they had the ball with a anticipation to connect or speed the govern in 4 of them.
They failed each life. The ones disasters weren’t continuously on Mahomes. Dropped passes and consequences ruined lots of the ones comeback makes an attempt.
The Chiefs gained enough quantity video games to assert an 8th directly category championship, however this season that during and of itself was once a meager accomplishment. Incorrect alternative crew within the AFC West completed with a profitable file.
The Chiefs completed the usual season at 11-6, the worst file of Mahomes’ profession. His QBR (63), passing yards consistent with match (261) and yards consistent with effort (7.0) had been lows. He threw a career-high 14 interceptions, however two had been well-placed passes that broad receiver Kadarius Toney deflected to a defender.
Mahomes has needed to adapt to issues round him in some way he hasn’t earlier than. He’ll play games within the first highway playoff match of his profession Sunday when the Buffalo Bills host the Chiefs at Highmark Stadium (6:30 p.m. ET, CBS).
“He’s smart enough to understand that every year is different,” offensive coordinator Matt Nagy stated. “And with that comes the ability to adapt.
“He utterly understands that now [that] we’ve a phenomenal protection this is conserving groups out of the top zone and doing truly just right issues. So let’s play games complementary soccer. We’re so old to the 40, 45 issues at will the entire life and that’s the objective. However we even have to grasp throughout the process the season how we’re committing to win.”
2:30
McAfee still in awe of Kelce’s lateral that didn’t count
Pat McAfee describes how impressive Travis Kelce’s lateral to Kadarius Toney was, even though it didn’t count.
WITH JUST OVER a minute remaining in the fourth quarter of Week 14 and trailing the Bills 20-17, the Chiefs needed to lead a winning drive to avoid losing back-to-back games for the first time since Week 3 of the 2021 season.
On second-and-10 at the Bills’ 49, Mahomes completed a 25-yard pass to Travis Kelce, who then sent a cross-field lateral to Toney that ended in a touchdown. It was exactly the late-game magic the Chiefs needed, except it didn’t count.
Toney had lined up offsides, negating the go-ahead touchdown. Mahomes’ frustration spilled over as he chased down three officials and was caught venting to Bills quarterback Josh Allen after the loss.
Mahomes was visibly frustrated this season like he rarely — if ever — was earlier in his career. He was despondent after Toney deflected a catchable pass to a defender for an interception in a Week 15 game against the New England Patriots when the Chiefs held a sizable lead and were trying to kill the clock.
When the Chiefs had been suffering to comprise power from the Las Vegas Raiders‘ protection the after presen, Mahomes was once perceivable shouting on the offensive linemen at the sideline.
However Mahomes was once additionally prepared to speed blame.
“You have to be critical with yourself,” Mahomes stated overdue within the usual season. “You have to be true to what’s on the film and what’s happening. I think a lot of people will make excuses and that’s why they don’t take that next step or become better because of it. But you got to see the film. You look at the film, you made a lot of mistakes that you can’t make in this league.
“There have been occasions that there have been throws there and I didn’t form them. There have been occasions the place I went via my reads, perhaps didn’t get to the utmost one. That’s simply stuff that I should be higher at. I believe if I’m higher at that, it’ll form the entire offense higher.”
Mahomes talked at times during the season that he felt he was being greedy, trying to force throws for big plays when none were there. He threw two interceptions in a Week 4 win over the New York Jets after the Chiefs took an early 17-0 lead.
The plays helped the Jets get back into the game, though the Chiefs eventually won.
“I’ve had spots in my profession the place I haven’t had the most productive few weeks in a row and so I’ve to form positive that I will be able to progress again to the basics and effort to be higher for the crew and nearest depend on alternative guys to form performs,” Mahomes said. “I believe that’s someplace the place I will be able to be higher is simply getting the ball out of my fingers and let those alternative guys form performs.
“It’s something that I have to continue to get better and better at throughout my career. Sometimes when stuff may not be going well or if I want to get that deep shot going, I’ll try to force it whereas there’s just times where I have to just throw the ball away or take the check down. It goes against my nature, but it’s something that you have to do at this quarterback position in order to have success.”
COACH ANDY REID, Nagy and quarterbacks educator David Girardi had been cautious to not effort to remove Mahomes’ competitive nature. They rather preached a steadiness between that and doing issues a unique means.
The Chiefs have a suffering workforce of broad receivers — the broad receivers accounted for 25 of the crew’s 38 dropped passes, probably the most via a crew’s receivers since 2012 — however the most productive protection they’ve had since Mahomes arrived in 2017.
“He wants to make the plays,” Girardi stated. “[The coaching points] are more time and place. That’s the big thing. When can you take those shots? When can you be aggressive?
“You don’t want to take that aggressiveness away from him. It’s really about the time and place. Do we have points on the board? Where are we at in field position? How is the game going?”
Reid stated, “He knows better than anyone when [he forces a throw]. He came up afterwards [against the Jets] and just said, ‘Hey listen, I’ve got to check it down there or run it.’
“My level [to Mahomes] was once, ‘Pay attention, you do what were given you there, and that’s attacking. If you wish to have to test it ailing as a part of the assault, test it ailing. [If the defense is] settling deep, simply test it ailing and accumulation firing, accumulation going. A dozen of match left to play games. He’s certain that means. He is aware of that and he’ll generally say one thing to me earlier than I say one thing to him.”
The challenge for Mahomes if the Chiefs are going to make another deep run in the playoffs is not to outscore opponents like they have been in the past. Mahomes and the Chiefs scored 35 or more points in at least one postseason game in each of the past four seasons. They beat the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35 last year to win Super Bowl LVIII.
This season’s Chiefs haven’t been equipped to win like that. They reached 35 points just once this season.
So the quest for Mahomes is to lead the Chiefs to wins even if they have a couple of unproductive quarters, as frequently happened this season. The Chiefs successfully defending their Super Bowl championship may depend on it.
“Now not the whole thing goes to be simple,” Mahomes said. “You must to find alternative ways to win.
“It’s always good when you find ways to win. You can win pretty but you have to win ugly too in order to win Super Bowls. Even though I hate it while it’s happening I feel like it makes you better in the end if you win games when not everything is going perfect.”
