Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes doesn’t care what happens: ‘I just want to win’

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes isn’t having the best statistical season of his career – but it’s a good example of why stats aren’t always an accurate indicator of how well a player is performing – And Development.

“I think when I was younger I wanted to throw deep every time,” Mahomes admitted to reporters on Thursday. “There are good things and bad things. I think it’s all about finding the right balance, pushing the field forward – but at the same time taking what’s there and moving the chains.”

As head coach Andy Reid explained, defenses have learned that they can’t make it easy for Mahomes to throw deep.

“(They’re) doing a good job with their shell cover – which allows us to get slight meters underneath – it’s just not the big pieces,” he explained during his Thursday call with the press. “(But) I agree with everything they present defensively. We have to use what we have there.”

But that has also changed Mahomes’ approach over the last two seasons.

“Teams would show you coverage — and (Mahomes) would have to kind of get used to the whole thing,” Reid noted. “Now he sees it, deals with it, gets it to his guys (and) gets the ball out of his hands. He is a great player. He manages everything. It’s like having a coach on the field.”

Another factor in the change in Mahomes’ approach is that Kansas City’s own defense – now one of the league’s best – is allowing him to become more comfortable. Now he knows he doesn’t necessarily have to make an impact every time the offense is on the field; He can trust the defense to give the ball back to the offense in good field position.

But that doesn’t change Mahomes’ core. He continues to be a player who wants to throw deep and score.

“We want to go in and get as many points as possible,” he explained. “I’m not going to pretend we don’t want to score a goal.”

Early in his career, Mahomes might have tricked him into trying to throw into coverage to play hero ball. But in his eighth season as an NFL quarterback, Mahomes knows there is a time and a place for everything.

“Of course, let’s continue (playing in rhythm),” he noted, “but let’s throw some of the deep passes again — and then let’s run the ball, too.”

This three-pronged approach has sometimes resulted in the offense not scoring as many points as it once did — but when that’s paired with great defense, it’s the Chiefs very hard to beat. And that’s fine for the quarterback.

“When we win, scoring fewer points doesn’t hurt as much,” he noted. “Of course I want to be perfect. I want to be great. I (also) don’t want to put our defense in bad positions like I did the other day.

“But at the end of the day I want to win. However we have to win the football game, I’m okay with that – if it’s about scoring a lot of touchdowns, not about scoring touchdowns (or) if it’s about running the football. Whatever it is – (even) if it’s about playing defense to win football games – at the end of the day I just want to win.

“I think we’re doing a great job at that.”