Moments of Mahomes Mediocrity Make Chiefs Fans Better Understand His Greatness

The Kansas City Chiefs just lost consecutive games for the first time since September of 2021. Both defeats came at the hands of desperate teams with playoff aspirations and high-ceiling quarterbacks. Today's face-off should not be so dramatic, and if it is, the Chiefs did something very wrong. The New England Patriots have a defense that allows the third-fewest rushing yards per game to opponents and the ninth-fewest total yards. That is the list of positive things to say about the Patriots.

Their average of 13 points a game this season is lower than any other team in football by 1.1 points. Mac Jones has been benched for Bailey Zappe, and even the great Bill Belichick is allegedly on his way out (eventually). All this drama and bad football in Boston should equate to an easy victory for KC today, but nothing feels easy for the Chiefs lately. This version of Kansas City's offense really has changed the vibes in Chiefs Kingdom, and not for the better.

We just witnessed consecutive games from Mahomes compiling a QBR below 52 and a passer rating below 80. That didn't happen for two full calendar years before this. His QBR on the season is still fourth in the league, and I do consider ESPN's QBR stat a more comprehensive and accurate measuring stick for modern quarterback play, but Mahomes has undeniably looked pedestrian through several games this year. He looks like a totally different guy on paper ever since the debacle in Denver.

Only one time since this year's loss to the Broncos has he posted a QBR higher than 54. He hasn't surpassed 300 passing yards since then, either. We can point to a lot of different factors for KC's ineffectiveness, but the highly paid megastar at the heart of the franchise must wear some of the blame. Not even a perfect record for the rest of the regular season could make fans in the Kingdom feel fully confident in the offense again. There's not much more we can learn by facing the Pats, Raiders, the Bengals without Joe Burrow and the Chargers without Justin Herbert.

I'm predicting a 24-13 victory for KC today, but the fans' restlessness will persist. Today's game will still be a good time to count our blessings, though. I'd gladly take a struggling Patrick Mahomes over peak Bailey Zappe or Mac Jones any day. These moments in which Mahomes isn't excellent serve as worthwhile reminders that Mahomes is excellent for an unprecedented percentage of the time he spends on the field.