The Kansas City Chiefs got back to winning ways on Sunday with a 27-17 victory over the New England Patriots in Foxborough. However, the lack of connection between Patrick Mahomes and his wide receivers continues to be a talking point at Arrowhead.
Rashee Rice was once again the only wideout to put up decent numbers, with nine catches for 91 yards and a touchdown. The rookie has been the only reliable target for Mahomes among the WR group this season, but the quarterback is not worried about the talent.
āYou will never be able to eliminate it completely,ā Mahomes told Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk about the drops. āAll you can do is work at it, and the guys know that Iām going to keep firing the ball. Thatās just who I am. Iām gonna keep firing the ball to the open guy and letting them go out there and try to make plays.ā
This season has seen a decline in the Chiefsā offensive production, which took many by surprise given that they are the reigning champs. In Mahomesā eyes, his teammates just need to be confident to start making more catches.
Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs high fives teammates during the third quarter against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on December 17, 2023 in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
āI think itās just, the guys gotta have the confidence to know that Iām gonna keep throwing it back to them and they gotta make the plays happen,ā Mahomes said. āItās part of football. Obviously, been too big of a part this year for us, but I trust the guys. I know how hard theyāre working at it. Theyāre going to go out there and be the best players they can be.ā
Patrick Mahomes knows Chiefs have room to improve
The Chiefs got the job done at Gillette Stadium by getting back with the win, which was necessary after losing two in a row. Even so, the Texas Tech product understands the offense has to do more from now on.
āI mean thereās always pressure, but obviously [after] losing two games you have to play your best football,ā Mahomes said, via ChiefsWire. āLosing three straight in this league, I mean, [it] really puts you in [a] tough spot and I thought the guys did a good job. Offensively we scored points early. On defense, shut the door, kind of like theyāve been doing these last few weeks, but we have to continue to get better and weāre playing ā the Raiders are playing great football coming up so we have to continue to learn and improve.ā
The dropped passes have concerned the Chiefs from the season opener loss against the Detroit Lions, and itās something they have yet to work on. Either way, Mahomes insists his teammates will be up to the task to make the plays happen.
āI mean, theyāre gonna do it all,ā Mahomes said. āTheyāre gonna catch balls from me, theyāre gonna catch balls from the other quarterbacks, theyāre gonna be on the JUGS [machine] after every practice or before every practice. I think itās all confidence. I think that those guys can catch the football. Iāve seen some of those guys make the best catches I think Iāve ever seen. So I think itās just going out there playing confident, being them, and if they do that, that stuff will kind of help itself.ā
Whatās next for Mahomes, Chiefs
The 9-5 Chiefs head into the final weeks of the 2023 season aiming to win the AFC West again and hopefully have chances of battling for the AFC top seed, which is currently in control of the 11-3 Baltimore Ravens.
Mahomes and company will return to action on a Christmas Day special against division rivals Las Vegas Raiders, who are coming off a commanding 63-21 win over the Los Angeles Chargers.
The following week, Kansas City will welcome the Cincinnati Bengals to Arrowhead before it visits the Chargers in the regular season finale.
