Patrick Mahomes Can Keep Proving the Doubters Wrong This Season
The Kansas City Chiefs are close to embarking on another run-it-back journey as the defending Super Bowl champions. At the same time, quarterback Patrick Mahomes is ready to embark on a similar journey as the defending NFL MVP. Mahomes was featured on the Netflix series 'Quarterback,' and it was an interesting look at what all went into last season and maybe more of what we could expect for this upcoming season.
Heading into the 2022 campaign, there was a lot unknown about the various weapons surrounding Mahomes. The Chiefs lost superstar wide receiver Tyreek Hill via trade, and Mahomes had to work with a mostly new core at the position. Wideouts JuJu Smith-Schuster, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Justin Watson were free agent additions, and Skyy Moore was drafted in the second round. It wasn’t until midseason when the Chiefs traded for Kadarius Toney, who played a limited role at the end of the year. Of course, Travis Kelce is on another level as a receiving tight end. He’s currently the best at his position in the league — and one of the best to ever do it — but the wide receiving corps itself was unproven.
Not only did Mahomes rise to the occasion, but he seemed to exceed whatever expectations were placed upon him. He finished the season with 5,250 yards, 41 touchdowns and 12 interceptions on his way to winning MVP. As part of the process before the season started, Mahomes invited his new receivers down near his home in Texas to train during the offseason. Throughout the season, results were a mixed bag for the new group, but Mahomes made it work.
Kelce, Mahomes’s safety blanket, led the way with 110 receptions for 1,338 yards. Smith-Schuster finished with the most receptions (77) and yards (933) of the receiving group. Valdes-Scantling added 42 catches for 687 yards and Justin Watson had 15 catches for 315 yards. No other receiver had more than 300 yards, but running back Jerick McKinnon gave the team 56 catches for 512 yards in that area.
This offseason, there was more shakeup in the Chiefs' receiver room. Smith-Schuster was signed by the New England Patriots during free agency and Mecole Hardman, who dealt with a multitude of injuries during his final season with the team, signed with the New York Jets. Since then, there has been an expectation that Moore and Toney would be able to step up and fill the roles of Smith-Schuster and Hardman. With that said, it's a tall task for two players who combined for less than 500 yards receiving last season. There would need to be a significant step forward for both players to assume those roles.
Unfortunately for the Chiefs, Toney already had a setback and will likely miss the rest of the preseason with a knee injury. Another wide receiver that was on the roster, John Ross, recently decided to retire. These are just a couple of things Mahomes will need to overcome, but that’s nothing new for the reigning MVP. He has some other players to throw to this training camp.
Rashee Rice was a second-round selection in the 2023 NFL Draft; Justyn Ross was an undrafted free agent signing last year and hasn't played in an NFL game yet, and Richie James (who is coming off a career year with 57 receptions 569 yards) was signed as a free agent this spring. Mahomes once again invited the receivers down to Texas for offseason workouts to build camaraderie in the room.
Mahomes also has a new pair of offensive tackles protecting him. Add that to the list of adjustments to keep an eye on early in the season. With the way Mahomes attacks each season, it shouldn’t take anyone by surprise when he continues to dominate the league at a high level this year despite turnover on the roster.
There have been rumblings about the Chiefs not giving Mahomes a top-tier wide receiver target, and that the team could end up like the Green Bay Packers when they had their nice run with Aaron Rodgers but lacked Super Bowl titles in the 2010s. To be frank, that's a bad comparison. Mahomes has already won more Super Bowls than Rodgers. When Mahomes had to deal with the adversity of the wide receiver room getting blown up last year, all he did was win MVP and lead the team to a championship.
This season, with another year of roster turnover at the wide receiver position, Mahomes can continue to prove the doubters wrong. Replicating last season’s success would not only put the Chiefs in a great position to win back-to-back Super Bowls, but also for Mahomes to win another MVP. He is in a league of his own, and he will need to continue to push the envelope for himself while the rest of the league tries to catch up.
There could be a bit of Mahomes fatigue hitting the league, but another season playing with unproven commodities at wide receiver should not be discounted. What we are witnessing with Mahomes at quarterback is a generational talent that continues to mature and grow each season. Enjoy it, Chiefs Kingdom, and never take this time in history for granted.
