The Kansas City Chiefs won their third straight game on Monday night against the Washington Commanders. After a slow start, the Chiefs took off in the second half. Patrick Mahomes was hit with two interceptions in the first half. But after getting the football to open things up after halftime, the Kansas City signal-caller was in a groove.
We have seen Mahomes get back to being aggressive this season. He is mixing in quick releases with more shots down the field. Meanwhile, the Chiefs are boosted by having a full cast of weapons. That is something they envisioned last year. Injuries obviously derailed that opportunity last season.
For Mahomes, there are many things that made his performance exciting against the Commanders. But as he got going in the second half, one area stood out above all else. Mahomes’ ability on the run and outside of the pocket was on full display.
Color commentator Troy Aikman made a key point about Mahomes and his baseball background during the broadcast. This came after he threw back to the middle to Noah Gray after Mahomes had rolled out to his left. He dropped his arm angle, altered his footwork, and was able to hit Gray in stride. The tight end added additional yards after the catch
Patrick Mahomes looked fully back in command on Monday night—confident, creative, and once again lethal outside the pocket
Mahomes has rare vision at the quarterback position, to boot. He seemingly found the third or fourth option in his progression multiple times in this game. That is a constant that he has carried out all season long. With his eyes staying up, he maneuvered in the pocket or found space to the outside. Not only did this give Mahomes increased time to find a pass catcher, but his receivers also did well to work to soft spots vacated in between zones.
Overall, Mahomes finished eight of nine passing for 149 yards when he had more than four seconds to throw, according to Next Gen Stats. All three of his touchdown throws on the night came with more than four seconds to throw, along with some improvisation to scramble outside of the pocket.
As for his total scrambles, Mahomes scrambled on 28 percent of dropbacks Monday night. That was a season high for him.
The accuracy that Mahomes has had on the run this season is nothing new compared to his prior seasons. But unlike the last couple of years, he is exuding more confidence. He is extending plays because the play is still developing against coverage. In the last two years, Mahomes simply had to scramble out of necessity, since the Chiefs lacked reliability among their pass catchers or offensive linemen.
He was essentially seeing different colors flash in front of him last season. That led to some inconsistent decision-making as a result. Risk-averse throws became commonplace. But now, Mahomes is operating in complete control this season. The success when throwing outside the pocket is back. The Chiefs believe they can overcome offensive penalties or turnovers more often. Plus, Mahomes is being gifted by improved adjustments and reads from his own weapons.
As the Chiefs shift their focus to the Buffalo Bills this Sunday, Mahomes looks unshaken for the first time in a while at the midway point of the season. Buffalo’s up-and-down defense will be seeing a new-and-improved version of the Kansas City quarterback.