The Kansas City Chiefs are 3-0 through the first three weeks of the 2024 NFL season, but Patrick Mahomes isn’t satisfied. Neither is Andy Reid, but the head coach refuses to let the quarterback take all the blame for the team’s offensive struggles.
Last week, Mahomes admitted after beating Joe Burrow’s Bengals that he felt his performances needed to improve. He insisted on this idea after the Chiefs’ Sunday night victory against the Atlanta Falcons.
The two-time NFL MVP ended up going 26-of-39 for 217 yards and two touchdowns along with an interception, which he threw in his first drive. Reid, however, made it clear that if there’s anyone to blame for Mahomes‘ slow start, that’s the head coach and not the quarterback.
“He got into a rhythm in the second half there. . . It’s my responsibility to get him into that rhythm earlier,” Reid told reporters on Monday, via Charles Goldman of A to Z Sports.
Reid defends Mahomes as Chiefs QB takes too much blame
Mahomes delivered quite the self-criticism after the Chiefs‘ win in Atlanta, claiming that even if the record suggests things are just fine, he knows this version of himself is not even close to the best one he can display.
“We haven’t played well, in really, all three games,” Mahomes said. “We’ve been able to win, and that speaks to the character of the team, the grit, and how we’ve been in these situations before. But I’ll speak especially offensively for me, I feel like I haven’t played very well. That’s not a stats thing. I just feel like I’m missing opportunities whenever they’re out there and not throwing the ball in the exact spot I want it to be at. So, that’s about me getting back to my fundamentals, putting our guys in the right position, and then we got to execute at a higher level offensively. If teams are going to make us drive the field we have to prove that we’re able to do that.”
When asked about the areas he thought needed improvement, Mahomes mentioned his footwork and an excessive reliance on his arm. Reid suggests that the quarterback should be easier on himself, though.
“He’ll be fine there. . . The better we secure things up front, the better he’ll be. He came off a game where he had to get the ball out quickly last week with the pressure,” Reid said.
Reid also warns Mahomes on red zone mistakes
Reid knows Mahomes will always vow to improve, but he’ll never let his players take all the blame when things don’t work. Still, his relationship with the quarterback is so good that the coach knows he can tell Mahomes when something’s wrong.
“When you’ve got to get it in there, you’ve got to get it in. . . We chose to run the ball a few times in that area, then we had the turnover. We have to do better when throwing the ball (in the red zone),” Reid said.
This balance between accountability from the quarterback and leadership from the coach has made the Chiefs an extremely dominant force in the NFL. And it may explain why, even with certain struggles in offense, they are still undefeated in 2024.