Kansas City Chiefs

Is Patrick Mahomes Carrying the Chiefs? The Growing Dependence on Their Star Quarterback

Posted on by Tony

The Chiefs are 13-1 for only the second time in franchise history (2020) after a 21-7 win over the Cleveland Browns, their largest margin of victory this season. But the real story of the game wasn’t the cool stats or the dominant defense, which collected a season-high six takeaways – including four interceptions and two fumble recoveries – but the injury to Patrick Mahomes. With less than eight minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Mahomes suffered a sprained ankle, and his status is now day-to-day ahead of their next game, the final home game of the season on Saturday against the Houston Texans-a matchup that could be a playoff preview next month.

Mahomes’ Injury and Struggles Raise Concerns for Playoffs

Mahomes threw for 159 yards and two touchdownsbefore getting hurt, handing the reins to Carson Wentz, who entered the game with a two-touchdown lead over the Browns. Wentz managed the game efficiently, completing both of his pass attempts for 20 yards on a single drive as he wasn’t asked to do much more than manage the game. While Mahomes’ injury doesn’t appear to be serious, and we’ve seen him play injured before, it’s what happened before the injury that should be of concern to Andy Reid and Chiefs fans. Mahomes completed exactly half of his 38 passes – the lowest completion percentage in a game in his career – while also averaging just 4.2 yards per pass attempt, the second-lowest mark of his career.

The Chiefs won by more than one possession for the first time since October 20 against the 49ers, but it came against a Browns (3-11) team that has returned to its usual historic struggles this season. Mahomes’ underwhelming numbers and Reid’s offensive struggles only highlight the outstanding work of Steve Spagnuolo’s defense, which recorded four interceptions and two fumble recoveries. Since last year, the defense has been the team’s strongest asset and remains the reason they could make it to the Super Bowl this year. In my opinion, Mahomes was on track for a great season, but injuries to “Hollywood” Brown, Rashee Rice, and Pacheco, along with inconsistent protection from the offensive line, forced the Chiefs into close games all season.

Reid Defends Play Calling Amid Mahomes’ Injury Concerns

On Mahomes’ injury, Coach Reid said, “He probably could’ve gone back in. He wanted to go back in. There was no need for that.” However, much of the responsibility for the injury lies with the plays called by Reid and the offensive line. Mahomes was pressured on 54 percent of his dropbacks, according to ESPN Analytics, the highest percentage he’s faced in any game since 2020. I don’t want to tell Reid how to do his job, but maybe running the ball more and not having Mahomes throw 40 passes per game could help. Still, as Reid pointed out, “You gotta be able to throw the ball in this league. You guys were in the game. Our running didn’t work too well either.”

The reality is that the Browns are an easy opponent, but one with a good defense that limited the Chiefs to just 21 yards on their best drive of the first five. This game was also the perfect opportunity to try new things, and the Chiefs did just that on the offensive line. For the fourth time this season, the Chiefs started a different player at left tackle, the position most responsible for protecting Mahomes’ blind side. Reid decided to move Joe Thuney, the All-Pro left guard, to left tackle, a move that Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett took advantage of. Garrett pressured Mahomes eight times, including six of 24 snaps (25%) against Thuney, per NFL Pro.

Chiefs Face Grueling 11-Day Stretch Amid Playoff Push

The problem for the Chiefs is that they will play three games in 11 days, including yesterday’s game. Their next game is on Saturday against the Texans, giving them one less day of rest than usual. After that, because they are a marketing machine, not only for Taylor Swift, but because they are back-to-back champions, they play on Christmas Day in Pittsburgh against a team with a strong defense, similar to the Browns. The Steelers, despite having already clinched a playoff spot, are aiming for a top seed or at least a division lead over the Ravens, so they’ll certainly be on their game.

The short rest period will test Mahomes’ performance, as the Chiefs must win both games – or hope for a Bills loss, which seems unlikely – to secure home-field advantage throughout the playoffs and ensure the AFC goes through Kansas City. If the Chiefs win both games, they would clinch the AFC’s top seed, allowing them to rest their players in Week 18 against the Broncos. However, these two upcoming games are critical tests against strong pass rush defenses, so we’ll see if they can overcome the challenges ahead.

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