Evaluating the biggest concerns for the Kansas City Chiefs
Patrick Mahomes and the inconsistent offense
Let’s be clear. To say that the Kansas City Chiefs offense is not one of if not the most elite unit so far in 2021 is incorrect. According to Football Outsiders, whose DVOA metric is usually considered the “end all be all” of advanced statistics, through five weeks of the regular season the Chiefs stand alone atop the league.
Even with an objectively poor performance against the Buffalo Bills, the Chiefs offense is nearly 30 percent better than the league average. They are trailed by all teams including current media darlings in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Los Angeles Rams, and the Dallas Cowboys.
Why are we talking about this exactly? At times this season the usually fluid and nearly unstoppable Chiefs offense has looked out of sync. Even the eternal optimist has to admit that Sunday’s performance, in particular, was probably the second-most out of sync the Chiefs offense has ever looked under Mahomes. The only time they’ve looked worse was Super Bowl LV.
The reason this is scary is the Chiefs offense should be markedly better than they ever have been. While they lost Sammy Watkins, they’ve more than made up for his departure with a “wide receiver two by committee” approach. Add to that they signed Josh Gordon, and this is an objectively better unit than it has been in years.
The offensive line is also likely more talented than it ever has been under Andy Reid. Creed Humphrey and Trey Smith have flashed All-Pro potential, and the rest of the group has been good to great with expected improvements as the unit gels.
Then there’s Patrick Mahomes, entering year four as a starter with arguably the best line and best receiving corpse he’s had in the NFL. Patrick Mahomes, the 2018 NFL MVP, and 2019 Super Bowl MVP, who is already arguably one of the greatest quarterbacks in the past several generations.
On Sunday Patrick Mahomes looked like he legitimately struggled. Even in Super Bowl LV, when the line fell apart and receivers couldn’t catch passes, Mahomes was performing feats heretofore unseen at the position. For arguably the first time in his career last Sunday, the other quarterback outperformed him.
I’m confident this alone is what has Chiefs fans scared the most. Mahomes has operated in another stratosphere through his first three seasons and four games and he finally looked like he was physically and mentally bested by another quarterback. Here’s the reality though, it happens.
If you look across all of sports history at the greatest athletes to ever play their sport, each and every single one of them had objectively terrible days. Each and every one of them had objectively terrible stretches, some even terrible years. It’s a reality of sports at the highest level that even those who are elite get knocked down from time to time.
The positive side of this story is that through three seasons Mahomes has showcased ability seen in only a handful of players in NFL history. That doesn’t just go away, and the truth is he probably hasn’t reached his peak.
Think about that, he’s already arguably one of the most talented quarterbacks in history and he’s probably not playing at his productive peak. There is absolutely nothing to be concerned about here. With all this in mind, what are realistic expectations for the rest of this season?