In the aftermath of the Kansas City Chiefs’ tough 21-17 home loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on “Monday Night Football,” quarterback Patrick Mahomes once again proved why he’s the leader that he is.
After watching his receivers once again drop passes, fumble the football and run the wrong routes on numerous occasions, Mahomes took the blame for the loss. And, while he wasn’t his best, he was definitely good enough to win the game if his receivers could catch.
Travis Kelce Has Been Off His Game
That includes future Hall of Famer Travis Kelce, who had a crucial fumble and drop, continuing his trend of playing well when girlfriend Taylor Swift is In attendance (100 yards receiving) versus when she’s not (46 yards receiving). Not sure there’s a correlation there, but what it does say is Kelce’s been inconsistent. Far from the reliable receiver that has hooked up with Mahomes more than anyone else on the team over the years.
But it was speedster Marquez Valdes-Scantling who was the donkey of the night, after his game-winning drop on a perfectly placed deep shot with just over a minute remaining in the game. Yet Mahomes would not throw his receivers under the proverbial bus.
Mahomes Takes Blame Amid Loss
As he’s always done following a loss, the two-time MVP, Super Bowl MVP and Super Bowl champion was quick to put the loss on himself. In his postgame media appearance a pretty upbeat Mahomes told reporters, “Offensively, I’m just not where I want to be at this point of the season.”
“It starts with me,” he continued. “I have to make better throws at certain times. We have to continue to move the ball downfield and just be more consistent throughout the game.”
Pretty sure Mahomes would like to have that red zone interception back that was intercepted by new Eagles safety Kevin Byard. But Mahomes couldn’t have made two better throws than his last two attempts, both drops, one by MVS and the other by Justin Watson on a fourth-and-25.
Both balls hit the receivers right in the hands.
Chiefs Hampered By Alarming Percentage Of Drops
In ten games this season the Chiefs offense has struggled mightily to find any consistency, and it began on opening night. K.C. leads the league with 26 drops, six more than any other team.
Their 9 percent drop rate is the worst of any team in the last ten seasons. That is not a receipt for sustained success, and without a downright dominant Chiefs defense this team could easily be 3-7 and not 7-3.
Scoring in the second half has also been an issue, with the team averaging a league-low (5.3) points per game after halftime. They haven’t scored a single point in the second half of their last three games, which includes two losses, with a win over the Miami Dolphins in Germany sandwiched in between.
Mahomes and head coach Andy Reid are a dynamic duo, but if his receivers don’t start catching the football none of it will matter.
