About 30 Minutes ago, Patrick Mahomes honestly explains why defenses are stifling Chiefs passing offense

Despite the underlying metrics painting the Kansas City Chiefs as one of the best overall teams in the NFL, Andy Reid’s squad is 5-5 and on the outside looking in in the playoff picture. A loss to the Denver Broncos last Sunday made a 10th-consecutive AFC West title almost impossible going forward.

This all comes in a season where Patrick Mahomes has played at an MVP level in the majority of games. Despite that, the Chiefs offense hasn’t totally dominated opposing defenses like many expected, especially once Rashee Rice returned to the lineup. The Chiefs’ last two games have exposed that, as Mahomes threw only one touchdown total in both losses, while the offense wasn’t able to put up more than 21 points in either game.
Patrick Mahomes says defenses are urging him to throw the ball deep, but it isn’t working

Clearly, defenses are doing something specific in order to minimize Mahomes’ impact. Mahomes himself was very transparent when it came to explaining what defenses have done against the Chiefs offense: they’re taking away shorter throws.It has become a bit of a trend that Mahomes isn’t as adept at throwing the deep ball now than he was earlier in his career. The downward shift began when Tyreek Hill left for the Miami Dolphins. It was expected that speedster Xavier Worthy could help Mahomes return to form, but the accuracy and chemistry just hasn’t been there for the quarterback and his receivers.

Defenses used to be terrified of Mahomes’ deep ball. With defensive secondaries playing more off-coverage, it allowed Travis Kelce and other weapons who excelled in the short and intermediate ranges of the field to really thrive. Fans have been wanting Reid to make offensive adjustments, and it appears that Mahomes believes they’re needed.