Three reasons to be encouraged by Chiefs win over Chargers

Patrick Mahomes’ toughness shined

The offensive line struggled mightily against the Chargers defensive front on Sunday, and Patrick Mahomes paid the price. The stat line only reads one sack for 13 yards on the game, but Mahomes was hit and hurried all afternoon. It rivaled the pressure and beating Mahomes experienced in the Super Bowl.

Not surprisingly, Mahomes had a rough statistical start to the game. Through three quarters he looked almost pedestrian, completing a mere 13 passes for 126 yards.  The Chiefs couldn’t get anything going offensively and time was running out.

As has become the norm, when the Chiefs are down for the count, Mahomes eventually delivers. Down by nine entering the fourth quarter, Mahomes began to do Mahomesian things. He made multiple MVP-type plays including a 54-yard touchdown he delivered on the run and a 20-yard scamper to convert on third-and-long.

The biggest takeaway here is Mahomes’ toughness and how it has consistently come through when the Chiefs need it most. Most quarterbacks, even Hall of Famers and Super Bowl winning quarterbacks, usually break down when subjected to the physical beating Mahomes experienced on Sunday.

Chiefs fans can rest easy knowing there are only a handful of defensive lines that can even muster this performance, and even so Mahomes is up for the challenge.