Patrick Mahomes proves doubters wrong again with Travis Kelce out

There is no doubt that Patrick Mahomes was drafted into the perfect spot in 2017.

When Mahomes took over as the starting quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2018, he had a veteran Pro Bowl at tight end and wide receiver in Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill. Mahomes got off to the fastest start you can imagine for a quarterback, when in his first season as a starter, he threw for 50 touchdowns and 5,000 yards. Mahomes also won the regular season MVP award in his first season under center and then won Super Bowl MVP the following year.

Despite all of the success, many have downplayed Mahomes’ production by saying he’s only good because he has Kelce and Hill on his team. As of now, that narrative is fiction, at best. The crowd that constantly says, “Patrick Mahomes is good because he has Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill” not only are in denial, but have been proven wrong on multiple occasions.

Patrick Mahomes proved doubters wrong again, proving he can win with anyone on offense.

In Sunday’s 36-10 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, Mahomes threw for 258 yards and 3 touchdowns before being pulled from the game with 11:57 to go. He did this without Kelce, who missed the game due to COVID protocols. Hill had just two catches for 19 yards.

During the first quarter of the first game of the 2019 season for the Chiefs, Hill suffered an injury, forcing him to miss the rest of the game as well as the next four games. Mahomes went 4-1 without Hill, averaging 373 yards per game while dealing with a high ankle sprain during those five weeks.

It is also important to note that Mahomes won in his NFL debut in Week 17 of the 2017 season when the Chiefs rested their starters and played with 22 backups against the Denver Broncos, who had some of their starters in that game into the second half. Mahomes won that game without Kelce and Hill.

To repeat, the notion that Mahomes can’t win without Kelce and Hill has been proven wrong on multiple occasions. The idea is wishful thinking by non-Chiefs fans who wish their team could have an offense as stacked as Kansas City’s.

These same people probably could not tell you who Byron Pringle is, who led the Chiefs in receiving with 6 grabs and 75 yards along with 2 touchdowns. Kansas City’s next best pass-catcher was running back Derrick Gore, then wide receiver Mecole Hardman, then running back Darrel Williams.

This article is not to insinuate that the Chiefs should move on from Kelce and Hill—not even close. The point is that Mahomes can play well with just about anyone around him, as long as he has the right offensive line in place. At this point, even the Mahomes doubters, if there still are any, have to know that he can win with anyone on offense.