Seven weeks into the 2024 NFL season, the Kansas City Chiefs are the only undefeated team in the league. A feat that is even more impressive considering Patrick Mahomes hasn’t looked like his true self this year.
The two-time NFL MVP, who is chasing his fourth Super Bowl ring, has thrown more interceptions (8) than touchdowns (6) so far. Mahomes also ranks 16th in passing yards (1,389) and 9th on QBR (61.2), having completed 67.9 of his passes in the first six games of the year.
Speaking to reporters after the Chiefs ‘ win over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, Mahomes addressed his struggles. While the quarterback took responsibility for his mistakes, he also made it clear that the priority is that the team wins.
“We’re winning games against good teams by a good amount of points and that’s not easy for the NFL. But I just don’t think it’s normal for what you’ve seen from us because there’s not a lot of passing touchdowns. There’s been a lot of turnovers, especially by me. So, I think it’s just showing the versatility of our team. It’s not just about me, it’s not just about the stats and the light show and stuff like that. It’s about playing team football,” Mahomes said.
“I believe that if we continue to work, we’ll get better offensively throwing the ball down the field. Until then it’s nice to know that we have a great running game, we have a great defense and we’re able to execute whenever the time comes to win football games.”
Mahomes, Chiefs getting results in challenging circumstances
Mahomes’ numbers may not be up to the high standard he’s set all these years in the NFL, but the quarterback is still finding ways to succeed. And the Chiefs’ 6-0 record becomes even more remarkable if we consider everything they’ve gone through.
Let’s start by looking at their schedule. Kansas City had to play tough opponents early in the 2024 NFL season, but it hasn’t stopped the team from winning its first six games.
The Chiefs’ 2024 results so far include victories over Lamar Jackson’s Baltimore Ravens, Joe Burrow’s Cincinnati Bengals, and more recently, a road win over Brock Purdy’s 49ers in a rematch of Super Bowl LVIII. Additionally, Mahomes and company have beaten Justin Herbert’s Los Angeles Chargers, Kirk Cousins’ Atlanta Falcons, and Derek Carr’s New Orleans Saints.
Mahomes dealing with key absences on Chiefs
And they did all of these while navigating through an injury crisis. This is not a minor detail, as Mahomes has been playing without his primary pass catchers. Marquise “Hollywood” Brown’s preseason injury was followed by Rashee Rice’s Week 4 setback, with JuJu Smith-Schuster also going to the sidelines in Week 7.
Travis Kelce getting doubled team also helps to explain Mahomes’ low passing stats, but the quarterback has found in the running game and in the defense the help he needed to overcome these challenges.
Mahomes shows need to improve
Either way, Mahomes is not one who makes excuses. Instead, he’s always the first to take the blame when something doesn’t go to plan, which is why he vowed to improve on his turnovers. At the end of the day, the quarterback believes the Chiefs can raise the bar.
“We continue to just make strides in the right direction, but at the same time, we make those these mistakes, especially me. We’re winning football games, which is awesome, but we’re going to try to continue to get better,” Mahomes said. “I think we can get so much better. So we’re going to continue to work at that and try to continue to get better as the season goes on.”