KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Patrick Mahomes deciphered the Atlanta Falcons defense and saw his nemesis, safety Justin Simmons, lurking downfield in the end zone.
The Kansas City Chiefs had flubbed the protection, but Mahomes thought he’d managed to hold Simmons in the middle of the field with his eyes and the deep-corner shot to tight end Noah Gray was too tempting.
He couldn't step into the throw completely, so Mahomes lobbed the ball deep down the right sideline into the Mercedes-Benz Stadium end zone.
As it turns out, it would be the last play of the Chiefs’ opening drive Sunday against the Falcons, but it wasn’t a touchdown.
Simmons hadn’t stayed in the middle of the field and instead undercut Gray’s route for an interception, the sixth of his career against Mahomes.
It’s also the fourth Mahomes has thrown already in 2024. For context, he threw five in 14 games in 2019 and six in 15 games in 2020 and has never thrown more than 14 in a season.
Right now, Mahomes on pace 22 interceptions, but there is some good news.
“We haven’t played well, really all three games,” Mahomes said Sunday after a 22-17 victory at Atlanta. “We’ve been able to win. That speaks to the character of the team, the grit, how we’ve been in these situations before.”
But Mahomes knows he and the Chiefs must play better.
He’s never had an interception percentage higher than 2.3%, which he posted last season as Kansas City’s offense slogged through the regular season in search of an identity.
This year — Mahomes’ INT percentage is 4.3% through three games. His rating, QBR, passing success rate, adjusted net yards per attempt and other advanced metrics would be career-lows across the board, but it’s not about the numbers for Mahomes.
“I feel like I haven’t played very well,” he said. “That’s not a stats thing. I just feel like I’m missing opportunities when they’re out there and not throwing the ball in the exact spot I want it to be at.”
That is music to Rashee Rice’s ears after the second-year wide receiver had 12 catches for 110 yards and a touchdown in the win against the Falcons.
Rice had two 100-yard games during his rookie season and already has two in this season’s first three games, but he’s excited about what’s possible if Mahomes is determined to improve.
“I love that just because he’s the greatest quarterback I’ve ever played with — so, whenever he feels like he hasn’t had a great game, I feel the same way,” said Rice, who leads Kansas City in catches (24), receiving yards (288) and touchdowns receptions (two) this season. “So, we’ve just got to get back to practice so we can do better together.”
Mahomes said a lot of his struggles this season come down to poor footwork, which is something he’s worked at throughout his career in Kansas City.
“I’ve got to get my base right,” he said. “I think I’m trusting my arm too much on some of those throws. Even the first throw of the game — I just kind of flick it, kind of off-balance, and don’t hit Rashee going down the seam there. I’ve just got to get back to my fundamentals. That’s stuff that I go through sometimes. Not usually early in the season like this, but luckily for me, I'm not playing my best football and we’re still getting wins.”
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