When Patrick Mahomes’ interceptions don’t count
For Patrick Mahomes, some interceptions aren’t interceptions at all, and the others are well-timed mistakes.
Sometimes, interceptions are just interceptions. Sometimes it’s just a turnover on a poor throw from an inaccurate quarterback. Sometimes, interceptions can be blamed on someone else. Maybe the receiver tips the ball up or runs the wrong route.
But sometimes, however rarely, interceptions don’t deserve your concern. That’s been the case with Patrick Mahomes in Chiefs training camp this year.
After his three-interception-day on Wednesday, Mahomes made national headlines for his poor performance. The responses to these articles ranged from ill-informed to delusional, and my mental state ranged from enraged to apoplectic. And that’s not really my speed. But, apparently, this was the topic to steal the last few remnants of my sanity.
Mahomes did admit to calling the wrong play in the huddle, leading to one of his interceptions on Wednesday. Let’s count that one.
His red-zone interception? He passed on a wide-open rushing touchdown, since he can’t be hit in training camp. (Admittedly, he should have just run it in, if only to save me the trouble of getting into an array of Twitter fights.)
What about his third pick? It literally didn’t count. In any context. Ever. That third interception was on a free play. The defense jumped offsides, Mahomes took a risk, it didn’t work, and the offense picked up the five-yard penalty and went on to the next play. If you’d prefer a quarterback who takes a sack on a free play, maybe the Chiefs could trade for Trevor Siemian. I think I’ll pass.
The good news is that Andy Reid and I seem to be on the same page on this issue. On Thursday, Reid delivered an absolutely money quote to the media in St. Joe.
"“I know people are worried about the interceptions,” Reid said. “I told you at the beginning of camp, I don’t care about all that stuff. I want him to test the offense. It’s so important. It’s so important that we give him a ton of plays, I want him testing it.”"
Since the Chiefs went up for Mahomes in the 2017 draft, I’ve believed wholeheartedly that Reid knew what he was getting when they took Mahomes over every quarterback in the draft not named Mitchell Trubisky. (And I’m not sure they would have passed on Mahomes for him either.) Reid wasn’t done explaining why he loves Mahomes’ attitude.
"“If you don’t have the intestinal fortitude to go test it, you’re going to be one of these quarterbacks who checks it down every time. And that’s not what it’s all about.”"
Andy Reid spent half a decade trying to undo some of the damage that was done to Alex Smith from his checkdown-filled time in San Francisco. He didn’t draft Patrick Mahomes just to stifle his strengths.
This is the future of Chiefs football. Andy Reid will try to make Mahomes more efficient, but no less explosive. And as far as Reid is concerned, we won’t have to watch a painful growing process. Reid says that Mahomes doesn’t make the same mistake twice.
So even if you count the interceptions that never would have happened in a real game, Patrick Mahomes is using training camp exactly how it should be used. He’s making guilt-free mistakes, testing throwing windows and his own abilities. He should spend the preseason doing the same thing. That’s what Aaron Rodgers is doing.
Using this stretch of training camp to add fuel to the “it’s going to be a long year, Chiefs fans!” fire is completely absurd. It absolutely could be a long year. Who knows. I don’t think it will be. I think the Chiefs are going to make the playoffs. But maybe it all goes to wrong, Mahomes throws 20 picks, the Chiefs go 5-11 and we live in a sports-talk hellscape for 17 weeks. Fine. Feel free to think that way. But please, enlighten the rest of us on your logic behind that prediction. If that’s based on some not-actual-interceptions in training camp, hopefully you and Patrick Mahomes both won’t make the same mistakes twice.
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