Patrick Mahomes may be happy to see the Kansas City Chiefs are 3-0 at the start of the 2024 NFL season, but he’s not letting the record go to his head. In fact, the quarterback was deeply self-critical following Sunday night’s win over the Atlanta Falcons.
Mahomes had already admitted after beating Joe Burrow’s Bengals that he wasn’t satisfied with his performances, and he feels the same way after Week 3. But Mahomes’ honest assessment could also serve as a subtle warning to the rest of the NFL about how much they should fear the Chiefs once the QB returns to his best.
“We haven’t played well in, really, all three games,” Mahomes admitted postgame. “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.”
Mahomes went 26-of-39 for 217 yards, two touchdowns and an interception against the Falcons. While these stats may not meet the high standard he’s set over the years, his production has been sufficient for the Chiefs to secure wins. Mahomes still believes there’s room for improvement, so the rest of the NFL should fasten their seatbelts.
“I think just footwork stuff, I got to get my base right,” Mahomes added. “I think I’m trusting my arm too much on some of those throws. Even the first throw of the game, I just kind of flicked it off balance and didn’t hit Rashee [Rice] going down the seam there. I got to get back to my fundamentals. That’s just stuff that I go through sometimes. Not usually early in the season like this, but luckily for me, I’m not playing my best football and we’re still getting wins. So, I got to get better to make the offense better.”
Andy Reid strongly defends Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes
Mahomes’ self-criticism speaks volumes of his competitive nature and determination to succeed. Not even three Super Bowl rings at the age of 29 will make the Chiefs quarterback believe he’s got nothing left to prove.
Andy Reid knows him better than anyone, so it’s safe to say these comments didn’t catch him by surprise. Nevertheless, the Chiefs head coach made sure to defend the quarterback, even in light of his self-criticism.
“ He’s a phenomenal player ,” Reid said of Mahomes. “I thought he just got into a rhythm in the second half, and a lot of that’s my responsibility to get him into that rhythm earlier. … But I thought he really hit it well in the second half and had some beautiful throws. … I think he’ll be fine there. Just getting him in rhythm, I think, is an important thing, and that encompasses all of that stuff — the footwork, the knee bend, his drop, and so on. And then, the more we secure things up front also helps.”