Overreacting to Mahomes, McDuffie and more from Chiefs-Vikings in Week 5

Overreaction #1: Patrick Mahomes is finally (safely) using his legs.

A big part of the Kansas City offensive attack last week, and this entire season frankly, has been Patrick Mahomes running the football. His 154 rushing yards rank fifth amongst NFL quarterbacks, while his 6.7 yards per attempt is tied for the best among all quarterbacks with at least 10 rushing attempts. But, his lack of rushing attempts against the Vikings was the best use of his legs so far this season.

Mahomes running the ball was not a threat or a possibility through the Chiefs' first three drives. He only had three plays where he broke the pocket in those drives. Mahomes was very mechanical in those drives, albeit effective. The ball left his hands quickly, and he rarely moved off his first read, but the Chiefs still scored on two out of three drives.

The first half's final drive saw the Chiefs trailing 13-10 and then that scary injury to Kelce. This is when Mahomes started using his legs, influencing the defense on back-to-back plays. One was fingertips away from a first down, while the other was one of the game's most pivotal plays.

When the Chiefs needed it most, Mahomes used his legs. He didn't need to run past the line of scrimmage. Instead, he pulled the defender's attention to him and created more room for his eventual target. It is a simple enough concept, but very effective when used sparingly. He pulled it out of the bag once again to convert a long third down in the third quarter. That conversion led to Kelce's touchdown and Kansas City's final score on the day.

All in all, the three times Mahomes did this led to two pivotal Kansas City plays. Mahomes' running limitations may be due to injury or a scheme choice, but it does not change the impact. This is the safest way for the uber-athletic Mahomes to manipulate defenses with his feet for the time being.