Kansas City Chiefs: 2018 Season depends on Mahomes and that’s good

By Britt Zank | Apr 17, 2018

(Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) /

How the Kansas City Chiefs season plays out will depend on a lot of factors, but the largest factor will be the play of quarterback Patrick Mahomes III.

With the NFL Draft finally upon us, a lot of people are speculating what players and positions the Chiefs need. This season the draft just doesn’t mean as much because no matter who they draft, the entire season rest on the shoulders of one man; Patrick Mahomes III.

Don’t get me wrong, the draft is important and I’m dying to see how many of the holes the team can fill. But in terms of the success of this season, the Chiefs have put all their hopes and dreams on Mahomes.

We all assume that Mahomes will be a very good, to great, quarterback. He fits the mold of what a QB should look like at 6’2 and 230 pounds. Attached to that frame is cannon disguised as his right arm. He’s not a fast runner, but he is athletic enough to avoid pressure and keep a play alive while being confident enough to keep his eyes downfield at all times.

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If he can live up to the hype, he has the ability to carry the entire franchise. He could put up over 30 points a game offense with average players, with the Chiefs roster he could be unstoppable. Who the Chiefs draft on defense won’t matter, because Mahomes will be the defensive MVP as well.

The secondary won’t be an issue because the defense won’t even have to worry about the run. A team wanting to keep pace with the offense would need to throw 80% of the game from the opening kickoff. This means the defense can run a dime formation without fear of being gauged by the running game. The rushers can ignore the running backs and just sell out for the quarterback on every play.

The defense can also play freer and loose because, unlike with Alex Smith, they know the offense will have their back. They won’t have as many three and outs where the offense forces the defense to go right back on the field. All of this helps the defense as much as any draft pick.

On the flip side of all the talent that could come with Mahomes if he plays up to his Hall of Fame potential, is the disaster if he’s a true bust. He is a gunslinger who likes to take chances and throw into tight windows. He knows he has the arm strength to make any throw and that can be just as bad as it is good.

If he becomes a turnover machine he would be putting the defense in poor field position and putting more pressure on a defense without the talent to handle it. Without him putting pressure on the opposing team’s offense they could keep their full playbook open causing the Chiefs to cover both the pass and the run.

The defense could easily be in the bottom third with an offense that can’t score, leading to a disaster of a season. Mahomes is the ultimate definition of high-risk, high reward in a player. There are many who are scared of this risk, I tell you not to be because it’s how you win in this age of the NFL.

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The easiest path to a Super Bowl is to have a top five Hall of Fame level quarterback running the show. Yes, it’s possible to do it with Joe Flacco or Russell Wilson, but that is working harder and not smarter. Putting this in the hands of Mahomes is not a gamble, it’s a necessity.

Kansas City is not used to this kind of player and this kind of approach. We are also not used to even sniffing a Super Bowl. The Chiefs are putting the hopes and dreams of the 2018 season and beyond solely on the arm and brain of Mahomes. If it works, fans can realistically expect an SB to come to KC. If it fails, fans can expect the Chiefs to be picking in the top five of the draft in the near future where they can try again. In my opinion, the reward far outweighs the risk.

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