KC Chiefs vs. Chargers: Winners and losers from Week 3
By Matt Conner
Winner & Loser: Patrick Mahomes
We doubt Mahomes himself would take exception to this one.
In Chiefs Kingdom, there’s zero question about the lone reason why this team is capable of winning any game against any opponent at any point, no matter the deficit. Even the Chargers were sitting back on their heels hoping that Mahomes wouldn’t be able to put together yet another run of heroic throws in order to put the Chiefs over the top. This was a game in which they had the lead on the road with just seconds left after having forced four turnovers.
That’s just how good he is.
Mahomes was electric on Sunday once again and threw for 260 yards and 3 scores and made another handful of jaw-dropping throws that reminded you just how good he is compared to even his highly-regarded peers. It’s not Mahomes fault that Tyreek lost the ball or that Clyde fumbled or that Marcus tipped the ball instead of catching it.
But here’s also the problem. Mahomes was off his game today. He looked antsy in the pocket at times early and stepped into pressure. Some throws were behind his receivers (Kemp and Kelce come to mind). Then there was the game-sealing (for the Chargers) interception that just looked like one of the worst decisions on the field Mahomes has ever made.
In short, Mahomes is always the winner here because he’s the backbone of a team expected to win every game. Yet here, he also needs to own the mistakes made on multiple levels if this team wants to grow and take the next step.