Has Mahomes regressed or is it just a slump?
The talk of the offseason was that the Kansas City Chiefs were going to be renewed on the offensive side of the ball. After their defense carried what was a middling offense in 2023 all the way to the Super Bowl, the front office made a couple of additions to get Patrick Mahomes back to his 2022 MVP form. Instead, Mahomes has struggled mightily despite the team’s 3-0 start.
Mahomes currently has the highest interception percentage and the lowest adjusted yards per attempt of his career in a season. His 219.7 passing yards per game would be over 40 yards less than his worst season in that stat category, which came in 2023. Some of this can be attributed to losing starting wideout Marquise Brown before the season, but it continues a concerning trend that popped up last year.
Josh Allen is balling out while Mahomes struggles
It’s also tough to place blame on Mahomes losing a starting wide receiver when his biggest rival, Josh Allen, lost superstar Stefon Diggs in the offseason and is currently the heavy favorite to be the league MVP. Allen has been far and away the best quarterback in the NFL through three games.
Josh Allen ranks this season
Rank
Pass Rating 133.7 1st
Total TD 9 1st
Pass TD/INT 7/0 1st
Wins 3 t-1st pic.twitter.com/vlmdhV9Sxh— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) September 26, 2024
Many expected the absence of Diggs to affect Allen negatively, but he seems to be playing even better without him. Allen has even come out to say it’s helping him to have several wide receivers who don’t care about stats, and just want to make plays to help the team win.
The Bills don’t have any pass-catchers with elite talent, but Khalil Shakir, Curtis Samuel, Keon Coleman and Dalton Kincaid all have specific roles within the offense that allows Allen to pick and choose what areas of the field to attack. The Bills have also placed an emphasis on running the ball effectively.
Mahomes’ downward trending production seems here to stay unless Andy Reid makes a conscious effort to change the way the offense is operating. The wins may be masking more serious problems.
