3 Chiefs on Thin Ice After Narrow Win vs. Falcons
By Joe Summers
The Chiefs may be undefeated and in firm control of the AFC, yet their wins have not come easy. Each game has come down to the wire, with a narrow Week 3 win over the Falcons being just the latest example.
Kansas City's offense has struggled, ranking a mediocre 15th in the NFL in yards per play (5.4). Similar to last year's team, the defense is carrying the offense through dismal stretches, yet that strategy still culminated in a Super Bowl victory.
It's hard to be upset about a 3-0 team, especially considering the schedule is about to lighten up. Even still, these players are on thin ice going into a Week 4 showdown against the Chargers.
3 Chiefs on Thin Ice After Week 3
1. Patrick Mahomes - QB
By his own admission, Patrick Mahomes has not played up to the high standard he's set over the years. He's completing a career-high 69.2% of his passes, yet has just five TD passes to four interceptions, throwing at least one in every game.
The passing game wasn't working outside of Rashee Rice on Sunday. Mahomes averaged 5.6 yards per attempt and threw one bad interception to Justin Simmons. He delivered when he had to, yet still needed the defense to bail him out late to seal the game.
Mahomes is never truly on "thin ice" given everything he's accomplished. However, he has to improve if this team is going to win a third consecutive Super Bowl.
Patrick Mahomes:
— Jordan Foote (@footenoted) September 23, 2024
"I've got to get back to my fundamentals. That's stuff I go through sometimes, not usually early in the season like this. But luckily for me, I'm not playing my best football and we're still getting wins. I've got to get better to make the offense better."
It's worth noting that the Chiefs have played three excellent defenses: the Ravens, Bengals, and Falcons. The Chargers are strong defensively too, though the schedule gets much easier after that. Mahomes has plenty of time to turn things around, and the smart money is on him figuring it out.
Despite the struggles, Mahomes is still an overwhelming favorite (+200) to win his third MVP at FanDuel Sportsbook. Oddsmakers don't expect the issues to continue, so fans shouldn't either.