Patrick Mahomes is Just Fine and So Are the Chiefs
By Liam McKeone
Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs have not been the dominant dynasty team we all expected early in the 2021 season. Mahomes has been turning the ball over at an unusually high rate and the defense has been worse than they normally are, which was already pretty bad. It has led to a lot of questions like "What's wrong with Mahomes?" and "Do the Chiefs even really have a chance this year?" and things of that nature.
The volume of those questions reached a peak at halftime of KC's matchup with the Washington Football Team today. Mahomes threw two picks in the first half and the Chiefs as a team turned the ball over three times against a Washington defense that had been absolutely atrocious all season long. One of the Mahomes picks was bad enough for people to legitimately wonder if there was something wrong with him. Which was fair because that INT was awful beyond description, but the overarching narrative was about how broken the Chiefs were.
Then the second half started. And guess what? Everything is fine in Kansas City. Mahomes is still other-worldly. They are going to win a lot of games and appear in the playoffs and will be presumptive favorites to take home the AFC crown until someone other than Tom Brady proves they can beat Mahomes in the biggest of moments.
It was painfully predictable. Mahomes came out and eviscerated Washington in the final two quarters, leading the Chiefs on three touchdown drives and generally looking more like the quarterback opposing defenses have come to know and fear. He orchestrated a seven-minute, 96-yard drive to slam the door in the fourth quarter, during which he converted five third downs of varying distances either through the air or by scrambling.
Is the Chiefs' defense still concerningly terrible? Yes. Is it still bizarre the Chiefs can't get a decent running game going despite the complete overhaul of the offensive line? Also yes. Does Mahomes still do dumb stuff because he's so preposterously gifted he thinks he can do anything? For sure.
But the Chiefs are fine. Mahomes is fine. We'll see them in late January again.