Five keys for the KC Chiefs to keep the AFC’s top seed

1. Set Up Patrick Mahomes For Success

I think we can all agree on a couple of basic points when it comes to Patrick Mahomes.

1. He is the best quarterback in the history of the franchise and has the talent to make a jaw-dropping/game-changing play at any moment.

2. His play has been a little up and down this season thanks to a mix of bad luck, bad situations, and some mistakes on his own part.

So how can the Chiefs make sure they get the superstar version of Mahomes down the stretch to help them secure the top seed? Simply put, they need to set him up for success. While Mahomes has proven he can do almost anything, there are still areas where he consistently performs better.

Mahomes does well when he can do one of two things. He either needs to get the ball out quick to one of his primary reads or he needs to escape the pocket and create on the go. In both of these situations, he is comfortable and highly effective. When Mahomes struggles it is usually when the defense takes away his primary read and Mahomes has to step up into the pocket and wait for something to come open. In those situations, he tends to get “antsy” and can force things.

The Chiefs need to call plays where Mahomes has the ability to get the ball out quick if the primary read is open and if it isn’t, have a plan/path to get him outside the pocket where his natural ability to make plays on the fly can kick in. Those are both scenarios that lead to K.C.’s success. I’m not saying he should never step up into the pocket and make a throw. All quarterbacks are going to need to do that at some point in a game. However, designing a game plan where you expect Patrick Mahomes to play the same way Tom Brady does, doesn’t fit Mahomes’s skill set as well.

Getting Mahomes comfortable allows him to get his confidence up, and when Mahomes is confident and in a rhythm, no quarterback is better. There simply isn’t anything else more important for the Chiefs than setting up Mahomes for success.

A big part of doing that directly relates to the next key on this list.