When training camp opened back in July, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes had one returning wide receiver from last year’s team.
That was Mecole Hardman, who has missed the last six games with a stomach illness/injury. So the thought of breaking in a new group of wideouts, and Mahomes winning a league MVP in the same year didn’t seem possible back then. But it could well happen now.
Mahomes has thrown for an NFL-best 4,496 yards and 35 touchdowns. He’s also averaging 321 yards passing per game, tops in the league. Mahomes is also on pace to break Peyton Manning’s record of 5,477 yards in 2013, though back then it was a 16-game regular season. Still, Chiefs coach Andy Reid said no one has outperformed Mahomes this season.
“If he’s not the MVP of the league, I’m not sure what’s wrong with it,” Reid said.
The Chiefs (11-3) won their seventh straight AFC West title with a win last week against the Texans. Mahomes was spectacular, completing 36 of 41 passes for 336 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. He also ran for another score. Mahomes’ performance came one week after throwing three picks at Denver.
“I thought he had a tremendous game,” Reid said of Mahomes’ performance against the Texans. “And I mentioned it after the game in particular coming off the prior one. It’s a great example for our football team of how you go back and fix an issue if you had an issue there, and to do it the right way. And that’s what he did. He dug in and really came out and had a great game.”
Mahomes took what the defense gave him — something he has worked on doing the past two seasons. But he still wants to push the ball downfield — right up to the edge without going over it.
“I want to always have that aggressiveness,” Mahomes said. “To me, I think that’s what’s got me here, that’s who I am. But just finding that spot where I can be aggressive and still take what’s underneath, that’s what I’ll continue to work on to get better and better at.
“And it’s week to week. It’s not just one season vs. another. You have to make sure you look at the tape, see if you were aggressive enough or not and then make that decision from there and come back with that same mentality the next week.”
This week, the Chiefs have a short week, playing the Seahawks (7-7) at noon Saturday at Arrowhead Stadium. Mahomes, who could have Hardman back, said playing football during the holidays can be a distraction. However, he said the Chiefs playing a day early could be a positive.
“We got the luck of the schedule where we’re playing Saturday (afternoon) on Christmas Eve,” Mahomes said. “So hopefully you go out there, and try to win the game, and then you can have all the family in town.
“Coach Reid will give us Sunday off, Christmas Day off. So the schedule worked out perfect for us to go out there on Christmas Eve and try to get a win and have Christmas Eve and Christmas Day off.”
