Patrick Mahomes Reveals Key Difference In His Play, Chiefs Offense This Season

2 bulan yang lalu

The Chiefs’ discourtesy looks revived done nan Week 7 of nan 2025 season, and not conscionable because of nan returns of receivers Xavier Worthy and Rashee Rice. Along pinch getting their apical playmakers backmost connected nan field, backmost Patrick Mahomes has been stepping his crippled up erstwhile again.

Since Mahomes past won NFL MVP successful 2022 and led nan Chiefs to nan No. 1 discourtesy successful some full yards and points per crippled that season, Kansas City has go much reliant connected its defense, and nan discourtesy was acold from arsenic breathtaking aliases vulnerable arsenic it utilized to be. In 2024, Mahomes threw for little than 4,000 yards for nan first clip since he started conscionable 1 crippled arsenic a rookie and averaged a career-low 6.8 yards per attempt. The Chiefs were still winning games and making nan Super Bowl, but they weren't arsenic explosive connected discourtesy arsenic they wanted to be.

Per Jesse Newell of The Athletic, Mahomes spent clip complete nan offseason re-examining his play from a play ago. He elaborate that he was "obsessed" pinch playing perfectly earlier nan snap, meaning he would determine not to propulsion to definite routes if he saw nan defense playing a definite play. At times, he was much apt to scramble aliases cheque nan shot down, alternatively than return an fierce shot.

This season, Mahomes is uncovering a amended equilibrium betwixt being fierce and excessively cautious, arsenic good arsenic not simply letting nan defense predetermine what he'll do pinch nan football.

“It’s like, ‘I cognize nan sum it is. I cognize this route’s not expected to beryllium open.’ So I would conscionable move on,” Mahomes said to Newell. “I went backmost and watched nan movie this past year, and I was like, ‘I can’t springiness (defenses) excessively overmuch credit.'”

“They’re going to beryllium trying to make plays, conscionable for illustration I’m trying to make plays,” Mahomes told Newell. “And truthful spell done your progression, spell done your read, simplify and conscionable play fast. And I deliberation that’s really helped maine retired this year.”

After all, Mahomes is still Mahomes. The defense mightiness springiness him a definite look, but Mahomes is already gonna spell down arsenic 1 of nan top quarterbacks of each time. He has shown complete and complete passim his profession he tin make awesome plays retired of nothing, and that it's nan defense who should fear him, not vice versa.

Even nan top players tin overthink things. But now that nan Mahomes has tweaked his approach, he's backmost to playing astatine an MVP level, and defenses crossed nan convention amended beware.