It's all about Mahomes

[dhitter 1,426]

I know the Hunt thing sucks. A lot of folks think this will set us back. But the resolve and success of this team rests on the shoulders of #15 and his ability to rally the team. He is the difference maker. He controls the game. If he doesn't commit 5 turnovers against the Rams...we win. If he doesn't throw a pick in the end zone against the Pats....we win. In years past if we lost a key player like Hunt it would have doomed the team. People complaining about losing Hunt do not comprehend what an elite skilled QB brings to the table. We are not used to having this kind of other worldly talent on the Chiefs.

Back in March on a thread I posed this question..."Can this offense put up 7,000 yards of offense. No one said yes. We are on pace for almost exactly 7,000 yards of offense. The Chiefs can and will prevail. Why? Patrick "frickin" Mahomes. That's why.

[Mloe68 1,521]

Ultimately an elite level talent at QB gives us opportunities we simply haven't had before. Just like how many of us took bathroom breaks on third and long in the past, we are never incapable of picking up huge chunks when necessary now (although its certainly not a winning formula to do it much). Likewise we could be buried as a 5 seed and still have some real hope this team can win a few big road games anyway. Its a new era and we are just beginning to see what we have been missing the last few decades. 

All that said he needs high level players around him too, especially right now as a 23 year old still learning the nuances of his position and this league. Hunt helped take a lot of pressure off of him by delivering big plays as an easy escape valve for Patrick as well as getting us in better position to make big plays by steering clear of many of the forementioned third and longs. I guess my point is I agree with you but I also think at this point and time especially this is asking a TON and perhaps too much from him at this point in his career. We saw that in the Rams game where he seemed to press into trying making too many big plays. And of course this is also created by a defense which puts pressure on us to score a lot. 

We will see what happens against three good defenses the next three weeks but I would have felt much better with another legit weapon at his disposal. Maybe Watkins can come back and help out here. Maybe Berry can come back and spark some type of forward progress for the defense. I think we are going to need something like that to get us through this right now even as good as he has proven to be. 

[moons314 2,463]

Mloe nailed it.  Mahomes is beyond special, but people are already forgetting he’s just 23 and doesn’t have a full season of nfl experience. It is about Mahomes , but moreso in the future than now. To ask him to shoulder the entire load at such an early point in his career is asking a lot of even the most talented of players.  Reid knows this, which is why they got Watkins. 

[dhitter 1,426]

9 hours ago, Mloe68 said:

Ultimately an elite level talent at QB gives us opportunities we simply haven't had before. Just like how many of us took bathroom breaks on third and long in the past, we are never incapable of picking up huge chunks when necessary now (although its certainly not a winning formula to do it much). Likewise we could be buried as a 5 seed and still have some real hope this team can win a few big road games anyway. Its a new era and we are just beginning to see what we have been missing the last few decades. 

All that said he needs high level players around him too, especially right now as a 23 year old still learning the nuances of his position and this league. Hunt helped take a lot of pressure off of him by delivering big plays as an easy escape valve for Patrick as well as getting us in better position to make big plays by steering clear of many of the forementioned third and longs. I guess my point is I agree with you but I also think at this point and time especially this is asking a TON and perhaps too much from him at this point in his career. We saw that in the Rams game where he seemed to press into trying making too many big plays. And of course this is also created by a defense which puts pressure on us to score a lot. 

We will see what happens against three good defenses the next three weeks but I would have felt much better with another legit weapon at his disposal. Maybe Watkins can come back and help out here. Maybe Berry can come back and spark some type of forward progress for the defense. I think we are going to need something like that to get us through this right now even as good as he has proven to be. 

I agree with much of this. No QB can perform at a high level if he is surrounded by scrubs. Bad teams can ruin a good QB. Ask David Carr or Joey Harrington. Mahomes was given the reigns to a division champion. And he has not only survived...he has thrived. Plug Trubisky into this offense. Does he have the same results?...or Baker Mayfield? I assert the answer is no way. Mahomes isn't just good, he is special. It could be argued that Hunt was the 4th most important piece to the offense. we need to replace 75 yards rushing and 34 yards receiving avg. per game and 1 TD. Neither Ware or Williams was game planned into the offense due to cutting Hunt on a Friday. I think things look more fluid moving forward. But the key to it all is Mahomes. Not just his arm talent...he is a very smart QB. His youth is responsible for a lot of the mistakes (INTs/sacks). Thinking he can do more...get more. He is figuring it out. On pace to get 52 TDs and 5,000 yards his first year as a starter? Unheard of...

[Thegoatee 1,783]

More proof of Mahomes being special: Conley is finding the end zone now on a regular basis. Alex Smith couldn’t ever get him the ball.

If anything as well, Mahomes talent throwing likely opens up the running game. In the past, it was up to the RBs to help open Alex up. If we keep chucking it around with ease, teams will put in a lot more sub packages and let them get exploited up the middle.

What is also telling to me is how Andy calls plays now. He totally planned around Alex Smith’s limitations. No one is complaining about that stupid bubble screen being called 10 times a game now.

[kkuenn 3,613]

42 minutes ago, Thegoatee said:

More proof of Mahomes being special: Conley is finding the end zone now on a regular basis. Alex Smith couldn’t ever get him the ball.

If anything as well, Mahomes talent throwing likely opens up the running game. In the past, it was up to the RBs to help open Alex up. If we keep chucking it around with ease, teams will put in a lot more sub packages and let them get exploited up the middle.

What is also telling to me is how Andy calls plays now. He totally planned around Alex Smith’s limitations. No one is complaining about that stupid bubble screen being called 10 times a game now.

I think last game without Hunt showed a lot. Could not game plan being without him much but as a team still ran for 174 yards as a team

 This is respect of the arm of Mahomes and the deep passes/routes at run. Sit back and take away those will give us the short to medium passes and run options. Reid is smart enough to do this. 

[West 6,714]

Truth is:

 

Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes have already EXCEEDED 95% of all our expectations if we go back to early July 2018.

This is just "gravy" and we all need to enjoy the ride as it is fantastic.

w

[Mloe68 1,521]

13 minutes ago, West said:

Truth is:

 

Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes have already EXCEEDED 95% of all our expectations if we go back to early July 2018.

This is just "gravy" and we all need to enjoy the ride as it is fantastic.

w

Heck West, I need to know that 5 percent who expected this! We will find another RB and if we can just get this defense to where is middle of the pack...look out!

[West 6,714]

Agree Mloe...

But hindsight is pretty amazing and I am sure there will be a few that predicted all this and more..

 

w

[qnet 1,158]

Awesome thread, and I agree with everything said. When Mahomes was drafted I had no idea about him. I thought he'd be fun to watch, but was going to throw a lot of INT'S. After watching him in the last game against the Broncos last season, I was optimistic,  but didn't see this coming. 

[jetlord 10,210]

4 hours ago, West said:

Truth is:

 

Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes have already EXCEEDED 95% of all our expectations if we go back to early July 2018.

This is just "gravy" and we all need to enjoy the ride as it is fantastic.

w

That's an excellent point.  Many expected about 9-7 with a really bad record after six games and a time of learning for a first year starter.  If we had known that Berry would be lost for the season along with Watt and that LDT would miss over half, Morse would miss four games, Watkins would miss considerable time, and Hunt would miss the last five, I'll bet no one would have given the team a chance to make the playoffs.  We all talked about next season before this one started.  No matter how it ends, even blowing the division or losing a WC game, it's been a magical ride and every win is gravy.  Most fun watching the Chiefs since 1995 up to this point.