Sometimes you have to win ugly.
Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs remained perfect on the season, improving to 3-0 for the first time since 2020 with a nail-biting 22-17 win on the road in the ‘ATL’ over the Falcons on Sunday night. But if you heard the three-time Super Bowl champion speak after the game at his postgame press conference, you would not have known that his team came out with the W.
“I’ll speak especially offensively to me, myself. I feel like I haven’t played very well, and that’s not a stats thing,” Mahomes said via the team’s official transcript. “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, it’s about me getting back to my fundamentals, putting our guys in the right position, and then we’ve 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, and I’m sure we’ll get a lot of the same this next week with the Chargers.”
The numbers were average, at best, for Mahomes, who completed 26-of-39 pass attempts for 217 yards and two touchdowns with an unacceptable red-zone interception. He also missed some open throws that he normally converts 99 out of 100 times and uncharacteristically could not keep the Chiefs offense on the field, cracking the door open and giving Kirk Cousins and the Falcons an opportunity to take the game in the final moments. Kansas City did not generate a fourth-quarter first down.
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Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and his unit held on late as the Chiefs joined the 1990 49ers as the only teams to start 3-0 coming off back-to-back Super Bowl wins. San Francisco started 10-0 with Hall of Famer Joe Montana under center.
“Yeah, I mean, we haven’t played good — I mean, really all three games,” Mahomes said. “We’ve been able to win. That speaks to the character of the team, the grit, how we’ve been in these situations before.”
The shoulder injury that Hollywood Brown suffered in Game 1 of the preseason appears to have had more of an impact on the Chiefs passing issues than anyone initially thought because of his ability to take the top off the field. Through three games, the Chiefs passing attack or lack thereof, has been a one-man show, Rashee Rice or bust.
Mahomes won his 77th game in his 99th career start in Week 3, the most wins by a quarterback in their first 100 starts since 1950, passing New England Patriots Tom Brady’s 76.
With defenses sitting back in coverage to take away the Chiefs signature big plays that give them momentum and juice, Mahomes has been relegated to throw the ball short. Of his 39 pass attempts Sunday night, 28 came under 10 air yards, according to Next Gen Stats, 22 of 28 for 143 yards and two touchdowns. On passes over 10 air yards, Mahomes was off the mark and erratic, with just 4 of 8 for 74 yards and an interception.
One of the major issues that has to be addressed is the lack of production by Travis Kelce. The star tight end caught four of five targets for 30 yards Sunday night. For the season, Kelce has 69 yards on eight receptions with no scores.
“Yeah, it’s crazy because teams still — the respect factor they have for Travis is just unreal,” Mahomes said when asked about Kelce’s quiet night. “It’s well-deserved, but we’re calling a lot of plays for Travis, and it’s like two or three people are going to him. So, I mean, he understands. I think that’s the great thing about him is he wants to make an impact on the game, but he wants to win at the end of the day. I’m going to try to do my best to keep feeding him the ball whenever he’s there, whenever he’s open. But I think the more Rashee makes plays, the more we’re able to run the football, the more we can get [Xavier] Worthy involved, that’s going to open Travis up more. I mean, people are really emphasizing trying to take him away, and it’s getting other guys open.”
It is not uncommon for offenses to take a few weeks to find their rhythm. At least the back-to-back Super Bowl champs are piling up wins while Mahomes and coach Andy Reid figure out the recipe for success down the road in 2024.
The Chiefs continue their road trip for another week when they visit their division rival, the Los Angeles Chargers (2-1) next Sunday in an AFC West matchup.
The Falcons play the second of three straight home games when their NFC South rival, the New Orleans Saints (2-1), visit Atlanta next Sunday.
