Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has been the talk of the Chiefs’ training camp. His jaw-dropping and record-smashing performance has already taken the Internet by storm! On Tuesday, Mahomes threw a remarkable deep pass to rookie receiver Justin Royals, marking a noteworthy moment in the early stages of practice. The success of this play showcased Mahomes’ skills and signaled an intention to focus on deep throws this season.
On Sunday, Mahomes threw a perfectly placed pass leaving cornerback Jaylen Watson with no chance as it went right into the hands of Xavier Worthy. The superlative pass brought the first thunderous cheer sound out of the packed stadium. It was a great look at the buzz around the new quarterback as he works to get that deep ball accuracy going this season.
Last season, Mahomes struggled on deep attempts, throwing more picks (six) than touchdowns (four) on deep throws. He sure seems intent on changing that stat at this year’s training camp. Mahomes stated back in June that he wanted to throw deeper passes this year to build the confidence of his blazing fast wide receiver group. “We definitely want to push the ball down the field and push the ball into tighter windows this year,” he stated.
The quarterback’s performance has been characterized by an obsession with perfection, as noted by Chiefs’ offensive coordinator Matt Nagy. “There’s an obsession that he has with being perfect at what he does,” Nagy remarked, highlighting Mahomes’ commitment to excellence. He emphasized the importance of accuracy and building rapport with receivers, stating, “The accuracy part is critical, being friendly to the receivers.”
Aside from his testing-the-limits throws, Mahomes showed off crazy maneuverability escaping the pocket on some scrambles in practice. He had the ability to escape to his right, extend plays and allow receivers that extra nanosecond to find their release cuts and separation. Except one of his passes turned into some bad luck on their end. He delivered a low blow on receiver Rashee Rice, forcing Rice’s knee to bend in the opposite direction.
Dating back to training camp at Missouri Western State, Mahomes has repeatedly produced jaw-dropping passing displays. His touch and placement on throws have gone beyond even his lofty expectations. He’s really mastered the art this year, keeping all parts of the game in impressive balance. Meanwhile, he’s constantly churned out muscular productivity. Last season saw him complete passes to a record 18 different teammates, a testament to his ability to distribute the ball effectively.
Despite grappling with a sprained right ankle in late December and enduring over 100 hits during the season, Mahomes remained resilient and focused on improving. “Sometimes you get to camp, and you just want to go out there and dominate the day,” he said. “I want to dominate every single rep. No days off. You’ve got to improve on improvement, day after day.”
His teammates have seen the same thing, too, having gone against him during practice. Even tight end Travis Kelce expressed incredulity at the heights Mahomes has reached this season, saying, “It’s like he’s a step ahead, he’s a play ahead.” “His arm is alive right now. It’s fun to see him know the play and know where he’s going before the snap happens. He’s our biggest, fearless competitor,” Kelce added.
As Kansas City Chiefs’ head coach Andy Reid once said, being a quarterback is like farming, there’s just constantly something you need to be doing. “I’ve never been a farmer, but you always hear that there’s always work to be done. Being a quarterback is a lot like that,” Reid explained. He conceded that with the evolution of the game comes the evolution of the offense and the changing of personnel.
With training camp coming to a close, Patrick Mahomes is still raising the bar for himself and his teammates. His dedication to perfecting his game reflects his ambition and commitment to leading the Chiefs in the upcoming season.
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