Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs are in a rut. They have lost three of their last five games and have also lost their grip on the top spot in the AFC standings. They are 8-4 and trail the 9-3 Miami Dolphins and the 9-3 Baltimore Ravens in the race for a first-round bye in the playoffs.
The Chiefs’ dodgy form has seen multiple teams usurp them as Super Bowl favorites, and analyst Jason Whitlock believes that Mahomes and the team’s lackadaisical attitude is at fault for their slump. On the latest episode of the Truth Bomb podcast, Whitlock said:
“[Patrick Mahomes is] talented, Hall of Fame quarterback, going to go down in history as one of the top 10 quarterbacks, maybe top-five of all time. But he does not have Tom Brady’s drive. Winning isn’t as important to him as it was for Tom Brady.”
He claimed that Brady played with a chip on a shoulder because he was picked in the sixth round of the NFL Draft, while Mahomes didn’t as he was drafted eighth overall. He also claimed the quarterback has gotten comfortable:
“Take Brady, he was always competing with Peyton Manning. Who is Patrick Mahomes competing with? Nobody. Patrick Mahomes isn’t Tom Brady, he’s not Tiger Woods, he’s not Michael Jordan. He’s just a super-talented guy. When I look at how their offense is backed up and he’s having a mediocre season, he’s a bit satisfied right now, his tight end is a bit distracted right now, he doesn’t have Tyreek Hill, and so he’s got some excuses and going through the motions.”
he Chiefs’ receiving unit, outside of Travis Kelce, has been under heavy scrutiny for dropping passes and lack of separation, and it has hurt Mahomes’ numbers. Mahomes is averaging 260.6 passing yards per game, the lowest since he took over as the Chiefs’ starting quarterback in 2018.
The two-time and reigning NFL MVP has a career-low passer rating (95.1) and pass success rate (49.5%). His quarterback rating is 69.7, making it only the second instance in his career where he has fallen under 75 in a season in that category.
Mahomes isn’t solely responsible for his and the Chiefs’ downturn in form, but the quarterback’s stats are alarming. Kansas City has five games left on their regular season schedule and it remains to be seen if Mahomes and the team can rally and finish strong before heading to the playoffs.
