Why Patrick Mahomes have gone from magician to methodically

Patrick Mahomes is still the best quarterback in the NFL.

Although Lamar Jackson is likely to win a third MVP, barely scraping past Josh Allen’s career year, and Joe Burrow has an argument that his numbers are more notable than both of them, they all still look up to number 15 in Kansas City.

While the debate over Quarterback hierarchy is constantly debated on every Monday morning talk show, it’s not every week that a quarterback with three Super Bowls and two MVPs, which lost only one start all season, should be repeated as the best in its position. in NFL.

But when the same quarterback ended the same season during the career average in the care yarns and care-touchdowns while he was up in interceptions, the questions will be asked.

Do these figures reflect that Mahomes begin to show signs of football mortality, or are they a strategic adjustment towards a more effective brand of Chiefs’ football?

Mahomes’ 2024 season was by no means “bad”. With 3,928 yards on a completion rate of 67.5 and 26 touchdowns for 11 interceptions, Mahomes were among the league leaders with a QB rate of 93.5.

However, they fade compared to his average per season since he was starting in 2018, which is 5,036 yards at a completion rate of 66.5, 39 touchdowns for 11 interceptions per 17 matches.

When these figures are compared to the other QBs in the NFL’s history to lead a team to a winning percentage north of .880, Mahomes’ measurements are also not to the normal standard.

Actually Mahomes have the lowest QB RATE of quarterbacks on this list since 1968, afterwards the leader of the group Aaron Rodgers’ 2011 season with 29 points.

So how could a generally worse number from the best player in his position correspond to several wins as a team? Has Chiefs been better than they were in the last two seasons despite the fact that Mahomes have gone back, despite each of these seasons ending up hoisting Lombardi?

To answer this, we need to take a closer look at how the schedule has been constructed over the past three years.

When Mahomes agreed to his record contract 2020There he kept him in Kansas City for the high price of 10 years and $ 450 million, Chief’s General Manager Brett Veach knew his job was getting harder.

With postponements, Chiefs were able to push the significant years of Mahomes’ cap hit until 2022.

In the two years when Mahomes recorded less than 5 % of the team’s total Captotal, they were unable to win another Super Bowl as problems in offensive and defensive line depth already began to become a problem.

From 2022, Mahomes’ contract became a much bigger obstacle when building the team.

  • 2022: 35.8 million dollar hit (ceiling percentage of 17.19 %)
  • 2023: 37.1 million dollar hit (ceiling percentage of 16.52 %)
  • 2024: 37 million dollar hit (ceiling percentage of 14.49 %)

After the 2021-22 season, some obvious changes had to be made to the list to achieve Cap space after Mahomes’ contractual jump. These got in the way of Wide Receiver Tire Hill via trading, linebacker Anthony Hitchens via Release and Tyrann Mathieu via Free Agency.

Kansas City was intentionally that the assets they left off were positions that they could either add via the draft or by team -friendly agreements in free agency. This strategy is easier said than done, and the inaccuracy of player replacements on a Super Bowl caliber team is usually what separates a fantastic team from a dynasty.

This was precisely the cross road Chiefs was in when they could have started the downward course for a team of talented enough to win a Super Bowl with a Rookie Quarterback.

Instead, Chiefs came into the distinction as dynasty as they won the next two Super Bowls, mainly because of their ability to develop and develop talent. In the next three drafters, Kansas City added the following players, which are still starting in 2024.

  • CB Trent McDuffie
  • They george karlaftis iii
  • RB isiah Pacheco
  • S Bryan Cook
  • De felix anudike-uzomah
  • WR RASHEE RICE
  • Ol Wanya Marris
  • DB Chamarri Conner
  • WR XAVIER WORTHY
  • Olympic Kingsley Suamataia
  • Db Jaden Hicks
  • Olympics Hunter Nourzad

Not only did all these players fill the team’s needs on an affordable contract, but they enabled the team to spend money on resources that first -contract players can’t always meet. Veterans like Joe Thuney and Jawaan Taylor on the offensive line would not be possible without Morris or Suamataia added the position depth, or Pacheco and Worthy added cost -effective options to Mahomes’ Arsenal.

And while the offensive side of the ball was gathered in a cost-effective way, defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has enabled the team’s defense to be ranked top-five with regard to allowed points, gathered for most of home-made talents.

As Chris Jones is the only star on the defensive side of the ball, Chiefs has constructed a well -trained Juggernaut, which has changed the focus of Mahomes’ attack. Why should he throw the ball more or take so many chances in the passing game when they are unable to spend as much money on offensive weapons as they could on his rookie deal?

With a defense that Kansas City has, their best path to victory is at low -scoring, flawless football, which is the reason for as many close competitions as they have done in the past season.

Although it is their most effective path to winning football matches, it has also prepared the team for the after -season how close matches are inevitable.

Now, when Chiefs are in a close match against a team of similar status as Buffalo Bills, they are not only hosting the game, but are being battle tested for the end of the game scenarios, after reviewing it all season.

So even though Mahomes have had his worst statistical season for this point, it would be difficult to find a fan who doesn’t want him to have the ball at the end of the game, despite the fact that these numbers typically signal a red flag.