The Kansas City Chiefs might’ve been 9-1 heading into Week 12, but they were far less dominant than their recorded suggested. Out of their nine wins, eight were in one-possession fashion with some being games where Kansas City should be considered lucky to be winners of. The defense wasn’t the issue, either. Heading into the week, the Chiefs’ defense ranked fifth in least yardage surrendered per contests (297.5) and eighth in least points allowed on a weekly basis (19.1). Instead, the rather unlikely problem was Patrick Mahomes and the offense.
From Weeks 1-12, Kansas City’s yardage per game ranked 16th-highest (337.9) while their 24.0 points on average ranked outside the top-10. Mahomes, specifically, was having a year to forget. During this timeframe, the two-time MVP averaged 240.1 yards per outing with 15 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Only two games went by where Mahomes earned a quarterback rating of at least 100.0, as did only two games go by where the 29-year-old wasn’t responsible for an interception.
After 11 weeks of football, Jordan Love was the only quarterback league-wide who tossed more interceptions than Mahomes.
These aren’t performances you can rely on to beat great teams on a consistent basis, as Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills proved in Week 11. And, as it just so happens, the NFL playoffs are filled with great teams league-wide.
If the Kansas City Chiefs were to be serious about potentially winning the Super Bowl for the third year in a row, they’d need their All-Pro quarterback to step up. Mahomes did just that in Week 12, as he threw for three touchdowns with zero interceptions en route to earning his highest passer rating of the season; 102.2.
This is the Patrick Mahomes who Kansas City needs to make a three-peat possible.
Patrick Mahomes returns to form following Kansas City Chiefs first loss of 2024
It’s possible that, for the second straight season, a loss helped light a fire under Mahomes and the Chiefs. On Christmas during the ’23 season, Kansas City had a “wake-up call” after losing to the Las Vegas Raiders at home. The team took off immediately afterwards and never looked back, ending the year as Super Bowl champions.
However, that may not be the case at all.
Last season, the Chiefs started off hot with a 6-1 record before dropping a game to the then 2-5 Denver Broncos in Week 8. Mahomes was responsible for a pair of interceptions as the team lost in embarrassing fashion away from home. Although he responded with a notable performance in Week 9 to get back into the win column, Kansas City lost in Week 10 at the heels of another forgettable Mahomes performance.
Similarly, after getting beat in dominant fashion on the road, the Chiefs immediately got back into the win column thanks to a strong performance by their signal caller.
But what happens next?
We’ll have to wait until Week 13’s contest to get a better idea of if Mahomes is truly back in form or not. For Kansas City, their upcoming game is one that had a circle around it since the season’s start. The last time the Chiefs lost a game at home was against the Raiders, who they’ll play at Arrowhead Stadium this weekend. There’s extra incentive for Mahomes and his team to go out and earn a win, circumstances of the ’24 season aside.
Regardless of what happens, one thing is for certain: Kansas City needs their quarterback to closely resemble his Week 12 performance moving forward if they want to once again lift the Lombardi Trophy. Can Mahomes do that?
*Top Photo: Harry How/ Getty Images
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