Patrick Mahomes is not only the reigning NFL Most Valuable Player (MVP); he is also one of the best quarterbacks of his generation. However, the Kansas City Chiefs signal-caller is struggling to shine this season, and no one really knows why.
It may be a mere coincidence that Netflix’s”Quarterback” docuseries came out shortly before the start of the 2023 season, but some conspiracy theorists think the documentary exposed secrets that his rivals are taking advantage of to stop him on the field.
Whether this is true or not, the truth is that Mahomes is experiencing difficult times, but only in some elements of the game, since in others, he is better than in previous seasons.
Let’s take a look.
Through 9 games this season, Patrick Mahomes is posting his lowest bad throw percentage since 2019, and the highest percentage of on-target passes.#NFL | #ChiefsKingdom pic.twitter.com/VGjUFyGxOm
— Pro Football Reference (@pfref) November 15, 2023
Mahomes’ numbers
The cold numbers, compiled by Pro Football Reference, say that after 13 weeks of action in the 2023 season, Mahomes has a five-touchdown percentage per pass thrown, an average of seven yards per attempt, 10.4 yards per completion, 260.6 yards per game, and a rating of 95.1 points.
All of these numbers are below his historical averages. In his career, the Texas Tech alum has a 6.2 touchdown percentage, eight yards per attempt, 8.4 yards per completion, 297.5 yards per game, and his average rating is 104.3 points.
To this, we must add that his percentage of interceptions per pass attempt is 2.3, against the 1.7% that he averages in his career.
However, not everything is bad for Mahomes. His completion percentage is 67.8%, versus his career average of 66.5%, and his sack percentage is 3.7%, down from his 3.9% average.
The reasons beyond Mahomes’ arm
Analysts have a multitude of theories surrounding the Chiefs star’s drop in productivity. However, one of the most obvious problems is the poor performance of his receivers.
It is true that Kansas City’s receiving corps has dropped 30 passes to Mahomes so far this season, the highest number in the NFL and four drops above the 26 of the second place, Cleveland Browns.
Rashee Rice leads this statistic with seven drops, and Marquez Valdes-Scantling has dropped two passes. Not even the team’s other star, tight end Travis Kelce, is exempt in this category, as he has dropped four passes to his quarterback.
Huddle up, Quarterback premieres in 12 hours! pic.twitter.com/PgJiQXxWs4
— Netflix (@netflix) July 11, 2023
Many accuse that the departure of Tyreek Hill was the trigger for Mahomes’ struggles. However, Hill is even worse than Rice, as he has dropped eight passes to Tua Tagovailoa, the second-worst record in the league.
And we most not forget the change in the system that brought about the departure of offensive coordinator Eric Bienemy this season, to accept the assistant coach position in the Washington Commanders.
The team has not yet assimilated the changes implemented by Matt Nagy, and that has hurt the performance of not only Mahomes but the entire offense.
With five weeks of activity ahead, it still remains to be seen how Mahomes will finish the season, although at the moment his chances of repeating as MVP seem very distant.
