Why Patrick Mahomes’ rough game was a good thing for the Kansas City Chiefs

Patrick Mahomes had a rougher game against the Miami Dolphins. Here’s why that’s a good thing.

There you have it. Patrick Mahomes, the golden son of Kansas City and a purveyor of joy for so many fans in Chiefs Kingdom, is a human being after all. Though he’s played seemingly the entirety of his NFL career near-perfect thus far, he had what most would consider a pretty rough game on Sunday against the Miami Dolphins.

To put into context just how odd the performance was for Mahomes, who has a penchant for dazzling plays that would probably get other quarterbacks benched, it was the first three interception performance by a Chiefs quarterback in almost seven seasons. Alex Smith had one three interception performance as a starter for the Chiefs and it happened in the first game of the 2014 season.

Everyone is due for a rough day here or there. Tom Brady has been on the business end of a four-interception game. Tiger Woods wasn’t, and still isn’t, immune to golfing a bad round. Even Michael Jordan, the rarely disputed greatest icon in sports history, had a game in the 1980s where he scored eight points. There is no player or team who can escape the inevitable reversion to the mean of physical ability from time to time.

Here’s why Mahomes’ performance on Sunday isn’t something to forget, but is actually a great thing for the team heading into the playoffs. I’ve written about this a number of times, and despite the Chiefs players’ comments to the contrary, it rings true.

When you are the defending champion and as talented as the Chiefs are, it can be easy to overlook certain aspects in your preparation for your opponent. It’s simply human nature, and we’ve seen it time and again throughout sports history.

It’s why someone coined the phrase “trap game.” It’s also why teams coming off a huge win sometimes play poorly in the following contest. When you’re confidence is high, and you play an inferior team, there’s a chance you overlook them. Every team in the NFL is inferior to the Chiefs, and every player inferior to Mahomes.

Mahomes is on pace to do things never before seen in league history. The league is different now than it was 30, 40, and 50 years ago. Even so, Mahomes brand of instinctual yet cerebral playmaking is changing the game. He’s the flashy wing player that morphs a league ruled by big men on the inside into one played from the outside.

Given his stature, and the endless praise that comes along with it, it’s good to have a game that brings him back to Earth. Even the great Patrick Mahomes is not immune to a poor performance; before Sunday’s game, there was serious question as to whether that was the case.

This does two things for the Chiefs heading into the playoffs. It allows Mahomes and Reid to refocus on what they’re excellent at. It’s possible because of the perfection with which Mahomes usually plays that Andy Reid’s play calling has become a little too “cute,” for lack of a better term.

The Chiefs don’t need to run a double reverse to their tight end and have him throw a touchdown to their quarterback. They have far too much speed at receiver and too good of a player delivering the ball to rely on elements like that. The margin for error in those type of plays is much smaller, and Sunday’s performance should help push them to get back to basics.

Maybe more importantly, it sends a message to the rest of the team. That message is similar to the one the team was given after Mahomes succumbed to a knee injury last season. If this team hopes to win the Super Bowl it will take all of them focusing and delivering. If Mahomes can have an off-game, so can everyone else.

These are all good things, and despite the catalyst for them the Chiefs won the game. At the end of the day this team has a chance to do something that only a handful of teams in sports history have done, repeat as champions.

Pride is insidious, and it usually leads to the fall of great people, teams, and organizations. A healthy check here and there is not only a good thing, but often desperately needed to maintain success.