The Kansas City Chiefs began the postseason on Saturday, 13 January, with a game at Arrowhead Stadium, just like they had done in each of the five seasons prior in which Patrick Mahomes played as their starting quarterback. However, their route to get there was very different and quite difficult compared to their previous seasons.
The Chiefs did not perform with their typical high-scoring offense and passing approach that could intimidate opponents. Rather, they were at an underwhelming 15th in scoring at the end of the regular season.
The Chiefs had the highest number of dropped passes (38), second highest number of offensive penalties, and 9th highest number of turnovers in the league. Though never as much as this season, Mahomes has always been expected to carry a lot of the load for the shortcomings of his team.
This season, Mahomes has had a number of memorable moments, but none top his Week 7 424-yard, four-touchdown performance against the Los Angeles Chargers. He led the Chiefs to the divisional round last weekend by throwing for 262 yards and a touchdown while overcoming the Miami Dolphins defense and the bitterly cold circumstances of the field.
Putting in the work. pic.twitter.com/hdKxgPyick
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) January 18, 2024
Kansas City Chiefs and Failures
However, this season, he failed to produce the late-game magic for which he is known. The Chiefs had the ball with an opportunity to tie or take the lead in four of their five one-score losses, but they could not bring it to fruition.
Each time, they were unsuccessful, although failure was a rare moment for Mahomes as many of those comeback attempts were wrecked by penalties and dropped passes.
Even though the Chiefs won enough games to win the division for the ninth time in a row, that was a modest success for them this season. There was just one winning team in the AFC West at the end of the season.
With their 11-6 regular season record at the end, the Chiefs had the lowest record of Mahomes’ career. His lowest numbers were yards per attempt (7.0), passing yards per game (261), and total quarterback rating or QBR of just 63. Though he threw a career-high 14 interceptions, wide receiver Kadarius Toney deflected two of them to a defender after they were well-placed.
In a way he has never had to before, Mahomes has had to adjust to issues surrounding him. On Sunday, 21 January, the Buffalo Bills will play their first-ever road playoff game against the Chiefs at Highmark Stadium.
Offense coordinator Matt Nagy said, “He’s smart enough to understand that every year is different”, and therefore Mahomes will show his flexibility on the field as necessary. Mahomes is fully aware that the Chiefs now have “an exceptional defense” that is performing admirably and preventing teams from getting into the end zone.
Therefore, Nagy explains that they will play “complimentary football” then where their objective is to reach 40 or 45 points at will, which is what the team is so accustomed to. However, they also need to comprehend how they are going to triumph throughout the season.
Last Encounter with the Bills
With little over a minute remaining in Week 14’s fourth quarter on 10 December 2023 and behind the Bills 20-17, the Chiefs needed to mount a successful comeback to avoid dropping their second straight game and suffering their first loss since Week 3 of 2021.
Mahomes found Travis Kelce for a 25-yard pass, and Kelce found Toney for a touchdown-winning cross-field lateral on second-and-10 at the Bills’ 49. It was all the Chiefs needed in the closing minutes of the game, but it was ineligible as Toney had set up an offsides play, which negated the winning touchdown.
After the game, Mahomes became enraged and was seen chasing down three officials before screaming to Josh Allen, the quarterback for the Bills.
This season, Mahomes shown a level of frustration that he has hardly, if ever, shown previously in his career. In Week 15, with the Chiefs with a big lead and looking to run out the clock, Toney deflected a catchable pass to a defender for an interception, leaving him disheartened.
The following week, Mahomes was observed yelling at the offensive linemen on the bench as the Chiefs were having trouble containing pressure from the Las Vegas Raiders’ defense.
Still, Mahomes was prepared to accept responsibility as he believed that “You have to be critical with yourself” in order to find the mistakes that he has been making on the field.
