The Kansas City Chiefs are one of only five remaining undefeated teams, but their 3-0 record is hardly convincing. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes has admitted he’s not playing up to his MVP level, and the Chiefs believe they know what’s hurting his game.
This past week, the Chiefs focused on Mahomes’ footwork and fundamentals, hoping to calm his base and get him to play more at the offense’s pace.
“I feel like I didn’t play very well, and that’s not a statistic,” Mahomes said last week after the Falcons’ win. “I just feel like I’m missing opportunities whenever they’re out there and not throwing the ball in the right spot where I want it to be. So, it’s about me getting back to my basics, putting our guys in the right position ., and then we have to execute at a higher level offensively. If teams are going to make us move the field, we have to prove that we can do that, and I’m sure we’ll get a lot of the same this coming week.”
Sources believe that the hits Mahomes took in Week 2 – mostly at the hands of Bengals pass rusher Trey Hendrickson – caused Mahomes to not trust his blindside as much, thus causing Mahomes to rush himself and his own footwork in the Week 3 game against Atlanta.
Rookie Kingsley Suamataia started at left tackle to start the year for Kansas City, but Wanya Morris later took over on the left side and Suamataia could still win the job back. It is logical to assume that the Chiefs will provide more blocking help to that side of the offensive line in the immediate future. Offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, quarterbacks coach Dave Girardi and assistant QBs coach Dan Williams were all involved in getting Mahomes back to basics this week.
Left gear click% through three weeks
For TruMedia
Player | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 |
Kingsley Suamatia | 100% | 84.7% | 0% |
Wanya Morris | 0% | 15.3% | 100% |
Mahomes’ below average game has helped contribute to All Pro tight end Travis Kelce’s historically low productivity.
It was the slowest start to a season in Kelce’s career. He has the fewest catches (8), targets (12), receiving yards (69), yards after catch (21) and first downs (4) through the first three games of any season where he was healthy. This is the longest he has gone without a receiving touchdown in his Hall of Fame career.
“It’s about getting him through the season,” one source said. “He’s going to have one of these games where he explodes because he still has enough speed and wiggle. Some of the YAC won’t be the same.”
Kelce’s yards after catch have dropped dramatically so far this season. He had a career average of 5.8 yards per catch entering this year, but he has averaged just 2.6 yards per catch so far this season. That stat has seen a linear drop each year since he averaged 6.1 yards per catch in 2021.
That led to several questions about whether Kelce — the boyfriend of superstar Taylor Swift — is in the best football shape he could be.
“Are we not allowed to say he’s out of shape?,” asked former ESPN personality Todd McShay on a recent podcast. “That he partied all offseason? That he rode with probably the most famous person in the entire world? That he drinks — goes to the US Open and he has cocktails?”
While few deny that Kelce has lost a step — and has for the past few years — multiple sources said he’s working hard in practice and playing through the whistle. He was open about plays, sources say, and Mahomes just wasn’t throwing it his way.
Kelce turns 35 next week, and only three tight ends from the Super Bowl era have gained at least 700 receiving yards in a season at age 35 or older: Ben Watson, Shannon Sharpe and Tony Gonzalez, who have done it three times.
The Chiefs tore up Kelce’s old deal in the offseason and gave him a new, two-year deal worth $34.25 million. By average annual value, Kelce once again became the highest-paid tight end in the league. But the deal also gives Kelce the ability to retire after the season with little financial penalty to the Chiefs, who would only eat $2.55 million in dead money in 2025.
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