Patrick Mahomes shows true grit in divisional showdown with Broncos

It wasn’t an easy victory for Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs on Sunday night.

While the Chiefs‘ rivalry with the Broncos has mostly been one-sided since Patrick Mahomes took over, it was a different story this week. To further illustrate my nickname I have bestowed upon the AFC West, which is the Wild Wild West, let’s just call Patrick Mahomes Wyatt Earp. Since I have started out with this western motif, let’s just go with it, and in that same vain Sunday’s shoot out had plenty of the good, the bad, and the ugly, but in the midst of all of it, Mahomes was nothing but grit.

At times the Chiefs offense seemed a little disconnected and discombobulated. There were missed receptions, dropped passes, devastating penalties that would remove points from the board, and some serious red zone concerns. Through it all, Mahomes kept firing his six-shooter (or should I say rifle) and once again did what needed to be done to secure not only the victory but clinching the playoff spot as well.

It wasn’t always pretty, however. Mahomes failed to spot several receivers who were wide open at times, and blatantly missed receivers at others, and if we are going with the shooting analogy, while Mahomes’ long-range shooting was mostly on point, the Broncos greatly challenged his close-range face-to-face shooting. Now, all that being said, it must also be stated that the Broncos dodged two major bullets, that had they landed this shoot out would have turned into easy target practice for the Chiefs. Mahomes can not be blamed for either one.

It appeared as though Tyreek Hill failed to catch a beautiful touchdown pass from Mahomes in the end zone, but had the Chiefs taken the time to review it, it was plain to see that the ball never touched the turf and should have been called a touchdown — Not Mahomes’ fault. Also, Mahomes fired another bullet to Hill from 48 yards out who caught it and backflipped in for the score, but an offensive lineman was called for holding prior to the pass, wiping those points off the board as well.

Despite the adversity, and the Broncos dodging two headshots, Mahomes would at least get the offense in field goal range nearly every time he touched the ball, and Harrison Butker’s long-range shooting was right on target all night. Even if his performance in the red zone left a lot to be desired, it should be remembered that even though the Broncos are 4-8, they are quite talented defensively.

Even with a stout red zone defense as the Broncos possess, Mahomes would not be denied, connecting with Travis Kelce for the Chiefs’ only touchdown of the game.

This was a big moment for Kelce and the Chiefs, not only because it ended up being the difference in the game and giving the Chiefs the win, but it helped Kelce break a record that he himself had set the season before. He is now the only tight end in NFL history to have five consecutive 1,000+ yard seasons, and what would Wyatt Earp be without Doc Holliday.

All and all, shots were fired all night, and when it comes to divisional rivals, you can just throw records out the window. These teams will always play each other hard and that is what unfolded on Sunday night.

The Chiefs had some misfires no doubt, but as I have stated over and over again, as long as Patrick Mahomes is Sherriff in Kansas City, the Chiefs will always stand a chance.

Despite the Chiefs’ offensive and red zone struggles, Mahomes still finished the game with a very respectable stat line, going 25-of-40 for 318 yards and a single touchdown pass, but that was all it took to continue his streak of games with at least one touchdown pass. Also, he very well could have had three touchdowns in this game, but as I’ve mentioned, two were wiped off the board.

Next week the Chiefs travel to Miami, to play at the site of their first Super Bowl victory in 50 years. While their upcoming game against the Dolphins doesn’t carry as much weight as a Super Bowl, every win counts especially in December football, with the playoffs just around the corner.