Patrick Mahomes' 2024 season hasn't yet produced the gaudy numbers most have come to expect from the superstar quarterback.
Mahomes and the rest of the Chiefs would likely contend the only numbers that matter exist in the win-loss columns -- and they're 4-0. Mahomes has also been here before, hearing doubters wonder whether they may have lost their edge after an uneven start to the 2023 season and responding by going on a run all the way to a second straight Super Bowl triumph.
To the quarterback, it's all about the process.
"That's what I learned last year," Mahomes said on Wednesday, . "I obviously went through a slump where I didn't play as good at the end of last year, and I just continued to work on it in practice. And in the playoffs, I thought I played a very high level. And so that's what I've been focusing on right now."
The vibe around the Chiefs right now is "they're winning, but ..." and understandably so. They rank 14th in total yards per game and are currently outside the top 12 in points per contest. The spectacular plays for which Mahomes became famous quickly in his career are rare, even with the addition of speedster Xavier Worthy. In fact, when Mahomes found Worthy on a shot play for a 54-yard touchdown last Sunday, it was rather surprising.
That's largely because defenses have decided to dedicate their resources to eliminating these big plays. It began a few years ago, before Tyreek Hill departed for Miami, and Kansas City's offense steadily shrunk in terms of verticality. As the Chiefs did in their Week 4 win over the Chargers, they took what Los Angeles gave them underneath and allowed Mahomes the freedom to improvise at times and needed all four quarters to pull ahead of Jim Harbaugh's squad.
But they still got the job done, just as they have for most of this decade.
"It's not as fun," Mahomes admitted. "You're not going to see a lot of one-play touchdowns unless you hit, like, a crazy shot. So we have to keep working so that we can execute at a high level. And I think that has been something I've worked on with how teams are playing us. I have to continue do to that, and show that we can drive the ball all game long."
Mahomes found such an opportunity when he connected with Worthy, bringing to life the visions most everyone had when the Chiefs selected the Texas burner in the first round in April. It just hasn't been frequent, misleading many to believe that element isn't in the Chiefs offense anymore.
But we've been here before.
As we learned last season, rumors of the Chiefs' demise are generally overblown. Just when folks think the dynasty is about to collapse beneath its own weight, they find a new method to support it, build on top of it and triumph over every enemy in their path.
Last season, it was about moving the ball in small spurts, relying on the likes of Travis Kelce and Rashee Rice to get it done through the air while Isiah Pacheco paced a physical ground game. And make no mistake: Kansas City's defense was elite, playing a huge part in getting the Chiefs to the Super Bowl and on top of the celebratory podium with another Lombardi Trophy in hand.
This time around, Pacheco, and now Rice, are missing due to injury. Familiar face Kareem Hunt has hopped on board to provide temporary help in the backfield, finishing with 14 carries for 69 yards in his first game with the team since the 2018 season. Meanwhile, Mahomes is again taking what's available underneath, biding his time for a big play when they come available. That didn't include Kelce much until Week 4, inspiring new murmurs that the Chiefs may have lost their edge.
It's all part of playing winning football for the Chiefs, though. And as Mahomes admitted, while he plays with his brain more than his instinct these days, those big plays will materialize eventually. Just don't expect the Chiefs to score 35 every week, because they're playing controlled, oftentimes methodical football with the same goal: winning.
"There's some points now where you almost know too much," he said. "When I was younger, I would just cut it loose. Like, I'd just go through the reads the way they sat on paper, and I'd throw the deep shot if it was there. I gave it chances. And now there are times where I'm like, 'Well, they're supposed to be in this coverage and that's not supposed to be there,' and it is.
"So you've got to have the balance of, I don't want to say being naive, but in reading the play the way it's supposed to be read, even if the coverage says it's not going to be that guy, and then when it's there, you take your chances."
Mahomes took a chance when he fired a rainbow pass to Worthy, and it paid off. If they keep following their process, it should deliver in the form of more wins, too -- even if the box score scanners remain unimpressed.
