Statistically speaking, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has been in a rut over the past two years.
That’s not to say he’s been bad, because that’s certainly not true. He has continued to make unreal throws, come through in the clutch, and has led Kansas City to the Super Bowl in both seasons. Mahomes has set the bar so high that it’s just not realistic for him to duplicate his best numbers every year.
He also hasn’t had the greatest group of skill position players to work with, whether it’s been due to a lack of talent or multiple key injuries. With all of that said, there are some factors that Mahomes can control to be more efficient passing the ball. While speaking to the media on Wednesday, here’s what he said when asked if he’s thinking too much rather than trusting his reads.
“Yeah, in a sense,” Mahomes said. “Sometimes you give guys (defenders) too much credit. You know what the coverage is and how it’s supposed to be played, and you know what your reads are, but the same time, you still have to go through your progression. That’s something that I have to continue to do. Even if it’s a two-high coverage, or whatever it is, there’s still chances for me to throw the ball down the field. I have to go through the progressions the right way and trust in the play call and trust in the protection. That’s something that I’ll try to get back to this year, and that’s stuff I have to continue to get better at.”
When the passing game is out of rhythm, which it has been much of the past two years, it’s easy for an intelligent QB like Mahomes to start to overthink things. As we saw during his two MVP seasons in 2018 and 2022, Mahomes is at his best when he’s confident and trusts the guys around him.
Hopefully Mahomes and the rest of the Chiefs’ offense can get back to that in 2025. Wide receivers Rashee Rice and Hollywood Brown should be healthy and ready to go, and Xavier Worthy had a great finish to the season in 2024. Combine that with a reinvigorated Travis Kelce, K.C.’s passing attack could return to lethal status.
