Four positive themes emerging for the Kansas City Chiefs

A glimmer of light for Patrick Mahomes

As if fans hadn’t endured enough wacky endings to games this season, the Chiefs once again found themselves on the ropes against the Green Bay Packers. A Packer team, mind you, that didn’t have their starting quarterback but a clear project playing in his place.

After leading the game by multiple scores for most of the second half, the Packers pulled within six points and had the Chiefs in third and long. The Chiefs offense, after struggling for the third game in a row, had made the conversion that much more difficult with a penalty the snap before.

It felt like so many times watching this team growing up. The Chiefs put themselves in a dire position and didn’t have the talent or fortitude to pull themselves from the grave they had dug. They would presumably punt and the Packers would have a good chance to pull off a miracle and win the game by a single point.

Some things are easy to forget, and there is likely a decent contingent of Chiefs fans who have already forgotten about the dark days of yesteryear in Chiefs Kingdom. Yet even with a team that has gone to two straight Super Bowls, there’s a palpable sense in Kansas City of those feelings of despair returning.

Behold in a moment where Chiefs fans (and maybe even some of the players themselves) lost all hope, both the coaching staff and Patrick Mahomes delivered.

With third and 10, the “smart” play was to run the ball and the clock as far as it would go. Andy Reid and Eric Bieniemy chose instead to trust the generational talent the Chiefs had at quarterback to make a play. Patrick Mahomes has struggled the last two games to showcase his transcendent talent picked the perfect time to wake up.

In a play we’ve seen so many times from our maestro, Mahomes sprinted right with multiple defenders within inches. Tackled and falling to the ground he unleashed a rocket, connecting with Tyreek Hill for the game-sealing conversion. For the first time in a while, we saw jubilation from Patrick Mahomes.

It’s possible this play will amount to little more than beating a team down a quarterback. It’s also possible it snapped Mahomes, and consequently the entire offense out of their funk. That play showed without question why Mahomes is the best quarterback in the league.

With his back against the wall, he made a play maybe three quarterbacks can make. I think this is exactly the kind of confidence boost he needed.