Patrick Mahomes answered another question Sunday when he went up against the number one scoring defense.
Every week it seems Patrick Mahomes’ non-believers invent a new test for him to prove their analysis that he’ll fall back to earth and perform like a first-year starting quarterback.
This week’s test came in the form of the Jacksonville Jaguars, as the Kansas City Chiefs was confronted by the number one defense in the NFL. How would he handle that? The answer came as quickly as every other answer has come this season: he handles it well.
When you face the top defense in the league you can’t expect a perfect game, and this definitely was not a perfect game by Mahomes. In fact, it was the worst game of the season by far. So let’s dive in and see what Mahomes did right, wrong and what the future still holds.
THE GOOD
Toughness
The Jacksonville Jaguars are one of the toughest, hardest-hitting teams in the league and Mahomes got to see that up close and personal many times today. Stats from the game show that he was only hit five times and sacked once, but that number sure seems low from watching the game. The offensive line played a solid game but the Jaguars got several shots in.
Mahomes absorbed those shots, didn’t flinch, and didn’t let it affect his game. He did not appear to get happy feet or get a quick trigger because he was worried about the hits he’d take. Too many times in the past, Kansas City Chiefs fans have seen quarterbacks who get trigger-happy after a couple big hits. Instead, Mahomes stood his ground and continued to make big throws that kept drives going and never allowed the Jaguars to get the momentum they needed.
Sustained Drives
One thing that has killed the Chiefs in the past has been the offense going stale for an extended period of time. Too many times over the last few seasons the Chiefs have gotten a lead and then had multiple 3-and-outs in a row to allow the opposing team to get back in the game. Even against a top defense, the Chiefs never fell into that rut.
The Chiefs had only one 3-and-out the entire game, which was the drive in the fourth when Mahomes threw his second interception. When you have a defense that can struggle in the way the Chiefs do, the best way to protect a lead is with sustained drives. Those drives take time off the clock, give the defense a rest, and force the opposing team into bad field position. Notice in all of that I didn’t even mention scoring points. While the points at the end are obviously a big deal, a 20-point lead should be big enough when your offense can sustain drives even without more points.
The offense doesn’t always have to score to do its job and today they did their job in none scoring drives but getting at least one first down in all but one of them. That is efficient and that is what Mahomes brings to the table even on an off night. He can still move the offense and help the team be successful.
Composure
As we’ll get to in the bad section soon, Mahomes threw two interceptions today. They were the first two of the season and both were bad throws more than bad luck. Mahomes also had a touchdown dropped by Travis Kelce who simply had to catch a perfect ball, turn and take one step and he was in the end zone.
Despite the failures, Mahomes attitude never wavered. When the TV showed him on the sideline he wasn’t pacing around looking dejected or upset. Instead, the TV showed the exact same thing they showed after a touchdown drive, him sitting on the sideline talking to head coach Andy Reid or cheering on his teammates.
His ability to play a game at such an even level is very special. Don’t get me wrong, he gets pumped when something goes great and he’ll have a moment of hands on the helmet when something goes wrong. But that’s all they are, moments. The moment happens, it is what it is, and five seconds later he’s on to the next play and that kind of goldfish like short-term memory is a key factor in what separates the top five to 10 quarterbacks from all the rest.