Patrick Mahomes’ leadership is the difference for Kansas City Chiefs
Patrick Mahomes’ leadership should help the Chiefs battle COVID-19.
A lot of people have inquired about the nature of the NFL season in the midst of a global pandemic. Already dozens of players have opted out of the season all together, while numerous others have found themselves placed on the COVID/IR list for an undetermined period of time.
If all of this is happening at the outset of training camps, with rigorous testing and policies in place to curb the spread of the virus, what will happen when the season kicks off at Arrowhead Stadium in less than a month?
The honest answer is that we have no idea. This will be a season unlike any other. Teams who have no business winning will do so because key players are absent or the other team is missing the energy and advantage of a home crowd. Some teams will miss the playoffs because COVID-19 will permeate throughout the locker room before a big divisional game. Somewhere along the line, teams will have to forfeit or cancel games due to COVID—much like we’ve seen in the MLB.
The Kansas City Chiefs are in a better place to deal with these potential detractors than most teams and the reason is as simple as one, two… ten: Patrick Mahomes.
Mahomes (and head coach Andy Reid) have undeniable control over the Chiefs franchise at this juncture in its history. The entire team moves in tandem with their MVP quarterback, and their respect for the pair at the helm overwhelms thoughts of anything else. Because of that leadership, the team will better prevent significant outbreaks of the coronavirus. They will also be better able to deal with positive tests when they come.
First, the team will do a better job of preventing outbreaks amidst its ranks. Within the facility, but more importantly outside of the team setting, Chiefs players will take necessary precautions to do the best they can to avoid missing time due to illness. Mahomes is the direct cause of that caution. Most of the teams that struggle this season with COVID will have one thing in common: a lack of clear leadership. Mahomes and Reid will be direct and authoritative in giving instructions to their teammates about what to do and how to avoid contraction of the virus. The players, because of who Mahomes is, will listen.
When the team does inevitably find itself facing positive tests, they will adapt better. Once again, this is due to Patrick Mahomes. Not only does he have command and control of the Reid’s offense like few quarterbacks the league has ever seen, Mahomes also has the rare ability to make anyone around him excel.
It may be important at some time this season for quarterback’s best friend Gehrig Dieter to step in and make a play. Don’t think for a second that the Super Bowl MVP is not ready to help him make that happen. Whomever is on the field, Mahomes’ uncanny ability to make a play—any play—will make this team better suited to deal with the pandemic than any other in the NFL.
Bet on the Chiefs, and bet big. This team is going to dominate the NFL in 2020—if there is a season.
Chiefs Trivia
Each week’s column will feature a trivia question related to the Kansas City Chiefs. Challenge yourself by coming up with the correct response without looking it up! Enter for a chance to win a Chiefs prize via either Facebook or Twitter Direct/Private Messaging. Must retweet or share the column on your personal page, and provide the correct answer via PM/DM, to be eligible. Winner will be chosen at random on Saturday.
Last week’s winner was Devin Nutter of Cypress, TX who received a piece of game used Chiefs memorabilia for correctly identifying Brodie Croyle as the last quarterback to start a game for Kansas City after having been drafted by the team, before Patrick Mahomes.
This week’s question trivia is: What was the name of the group of boisterous fans who sat in temporary bleachers at Municipal Stadium for Chiefs games?
Reader Question
Each week, we’ll answer a question or two from readers about our team. You can send me questions about any topic related to the Chiefs via DM (@kthomps58).
This week’s question comes from Rustin Hithe of Kansas City, Kansas. Rustin asks “Will teams like Kansas City be at an advantage during the regular season in terms of having less COVID exposure due to the lack of nightlife opportunities for players as compared with places like Miami and New York?”
Great question Rustin!
I guess my answer is probably not really. While there are definitely cities in the U.S. with a more happenin’ night life than Kansas City, my sense is that the players find a way to go out and enjoy themselves whenever they want to.
But, I do think the Chiefs will experience less COVID-related absences this year than other NFL teams. Instead of having to do with the K.C. social scene, I think it’s all about leadership. Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes have a firm handle on this squad, and I suspect that players will take every precaution necessary to make sure they’re available on game day for them.
Chiefs Fact of the Week
Arrowhead Stadium (and its’ neighbor, Kauffman Stadium, home of the Kansas City Royals) was completed in 1972 after a four-year construction project. The design for the side-by-side stadiums originally called for a rolling roof which would go over the two stadiums, but was scrapped due to cost.
Chiefs Record of the Week
Dante Hall is the Chiefs all time leader in return touchdowns, with 11. He had five punt returns and six kickoff returns for touchdowns in his career with Kansas City. (He added nine receiving touchdowns, too.)
Random Fact of the Week
Sunflowers can help clean radioactive soil. Japan is using this to rehabilitate Fukashima. Almost 10,000 packets of sunflower seeds have been sold to the people of the city.
Sports Quote of the Week
“If something stands between you and your success, move it. Never be denied.”
– Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
Oddball Sport of the Week
"A few of the entries on this list are relics of a bygone era. While they were strange sports, their removal from the games represents the Olympics evolving. That’s what makes this one such a head-scratcher. Solo synchronized swimming was part of the Olympics from 1984 to 1992.While the ability to perform choreographed routines submerged in water is an impressive athletic achievement, the term “synchronized” implies more than one person syncing performances together. That begs the question: How can one synchronize a routine by themselves?"