Few will dispute that Patrick Mahomes is without doubt one of the finest quarterbacks right this moment and will very properly be on the shortlist for the best of all time. Nonetheless, not even his incomparable expertise is sufficient to keep away from the evil that has plagued his workforce this season: the drops.
The proof is overwhelming, particularly after Monday night time’s recreation in opposition to the Philadelphia Eagles. With 1:50 minutes on the clock, the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs have been preventing to show the rating round, which was 17-21 in opposition to them in the meanwhile.
Six-year veteran Marquez Valdez-Scantling took off on a publish route by means of the center of the sphere and simply beat cornerback Josiah Scott.
With the person uncovered and tight finish Travis Kelce locked in triple protection, Mahomes determined to go for the lengthy move. It was an ideal rainbow that flew over the defender and fell into the fingers of Valdez-Scantling, who dropped it.
The pigskin bounced off the receiver’s fingers and sealed the defeat of his workforce, which now has a file of seven wins and three losses.
Chiefs had an opportunity to attain the go-ahead TD on this play pic.twitter.com/lFR4oMLOna
? ESPN (@espn) November 21, 2023
Mahomes may very properly use some assist
Valdez-Scantling’s mistake is much from the one one on this sense. Simply in that very same recreation, Kelce additionally had a fumble, and Justin Watson dropped a dashing bullet from Mahomes that hit him proper between the numbers.
The expertise of the Chiefs’ signal-caller is undoubted, however the analysts are greater than eloquent: Mahomes can’t throw passes and catch them himself.
The statistics assist the assertion: this season, Chiefs receivers have dropped 26 passes, and the 5 they dropped within the duel in opposition to the Eagles is the very best to this point this season, three of them in that last collection, one from Kelce.
Patrick Mahomes should not take the blame for receivers dropping passes.
“On the finish of the day, there needs to be accountability. Proper now, there’s none on that receiver room.”@ChaseDaniel and @robertmays focus on extra.
Pay attention: https://t.co/wSgKKDxoBJpic.twitter.com/S9OCy0fOSt
? The Athletic NFL (@TheAthleticNFL) November 23, 2023
Patrick refuses to level fingers
“I may’ve most likely thrown it a little bit bit shorter,” Mahomes declared after the Valdez-Scantling miss, “He was that open.” Nonetheless, he additionally assured, “I’ve no regrets. They trip-teamed Travis, so I went to the man that received downfield. We simply did not come away with the ball.”
Nobody may blame Mahomes for declaring his receiver’s failure; as a substitute, he determined to just accept his duty. Opposite to Valdez-Scantling himself, who most well-liked to distance himself from the media, simply as he did from Josiah Scott.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid has a repute for making the appropriate changes on the proper time. On the sphere and within the locker room, Reid has a troublesome job forward of him if he would not need their coveted postseason ticket to slide away.
