Picture this … the Kansas City Chiefs are 8-1 heading into their bye week. After starting the season 5-4, quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs are at a big crossroads in their season. This is the first time since Mahomes took over in 2018 that his team has had to navigate a bye week with this kind of record. It’s an exciting time for the franchise! The Chiefs’ uneven play has raised concerns, particularly following a narrow loss to the Buffalo Bills, where Mahomes experienced an unusual performance, completing only 15 of 34 passes, a completion rate below 50%.
It was the first time in Mahomes nine-year career that he finished a game under 50% passing. Prior to this game, he became the youngest to ever reach an incredible NFL milestone. He holds the record of a streak of 142 games, including playoffs, with a completion percentage of at least 50%. To their credit, the Bills’ defense went hard to pressure on Mahomes. He got pressure on 44% of his dropbacks, despite holding blitzes to four or fewer pass rushers.
The Chiefs were dealt their third consecutive loss, this one being their fourth one-score loss of the season. Now as they prepare to face the AFC West-leading Denver Broncos, they are outside the AFC playoff picture. Mahomes didn’t shy away from the struggles that his team is facing.
“We’ve had great moments and we’ve had bad moments,” – Patrick Mahomes
Despite their defensive efforts earlier in the season, the Chiefs struggled against the Bills, who showcased their offensive capabilities effectively. Josh Allen was sensational with 88.5% of his completions going for touchdowns. This success established a new all-time record for the Bills for completion percentage in a contest with 15+ attempts. After the game, the Chiefs were heavily criticized for fantasy darling running back James Cook III running all over them for 114 yards. That’s the most they’ve allowed any running back this year.
With Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox, it made for a difficult matchup for the Chiefs’ defense. As a duo, they combined for seven catches and 131 yards and a touchdown. Before facing the Bills, Kansas City had managed to limit their opponents to just 16.4 points per game, the second fewest in the league.
Mahomes emphasized taking lessons from their last two losses. He challenged his staff to make a speedy pivot to address what would be a tough new normal.
“How can we deal with that adversity? You can only learn from so many losses. You’ve got to learn from it fast.” – Patrick Mahomes
Moving forward, Mahomes knows the path won’t be easy and knows they must get better for the team to thrive.
“It’s going to be an uphill battle when we get back, but I think our guys are up to it,” – Patrick Mahomes
As the charges enter their bye week, they are just as hungry to address their confounding inconsistencies. All they need is to click on offense and defense. The offensive line must improve its performance and provide Mahomes with better protection against oncoming defenses.
“They had a really good plan, and they have good pass rushers,” – Patrick Mahomes
Trey Smith, a Chiefs offensive lineman, recently told the story of how defense after defense was forced to change their defensive game plan just to contain Kansas City’s offense.
“It was nothing crazy, just them bringing more linebackers and smaller players than your traditional D-lineman,” – Trey Smith
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