The performance in this game is why Patrick Mahomes is the league MVP. The fact that we are a witness to this sparkling era of Kansas City Chiefs football, thanks to Andy Reid, Brett Veach, and most especially Mahomes, is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I’ve said it once and I’ll repeat it: Patrick Mahomes will be the greatest of all time when he retires.
Even the great Tom Brady sat in awe of Mahomes performance. He as much said so while calling that 33-yard sideline run that was nearly a house call. Mahomes was, again, a turnover machine and now has more picks than touchdowns, but…the offense was responsible for four touchdowns. There are two for Kareem Hunt, who is bulling his way on rushing downs. One was by Mecole Hardman on end around, and the other was by Mahomes, who trucked 49ers rookie DB Malik Mustapha on a one-yard score.
Mustapha was the one bright spot of a woeful afternoon for the 49ers defense, who gave up 184 yards on the ground. He led the defense with 12 combined tackles on the afternoon and a few spectacular open-field plays on Xavier Worthy.
Unfortunately, the Chiefs’ passing game was essentially a non-factor. Mahomes gave up two picks and couldn’t lock down any deep throws. However, Mahomes magic is always present. Even with a career-low 44.4 passer rating, he just does what he does, and the Chiefs win. His ability to extend plays and drives allows the Chiefs to do things no other team can.
Are the Kansas City Chiefs unstoppable? Are they inevitable? Many of us are beginning to believe precisely that. I have to say that despite all their offensive flaws and lack of marquee wide receivers, they are still the most formidable team in the NFL. They’ve opened a two-game conference lead and are one full game ahead, league-wide. After 7 weeks, that is a remarkable position.
With the play of Steve Spagnuolo’s crew, there should never be a doubt about when and if the Chiefs can win a ballgame. It is directly because of the stout run defense that 49ers QB Brock Purdey threw three interceptions and was held to 212 yards passing and no touchdowns for a 36.6 passer rating. This defense holds teams to less than 28 points in the last 27 games (wins and losses). Unfortunately, losing starting cornerback Jaylen Watson to a broken ankle will shake things up in the defensive backfield. Still, rookie DBs, Christian Roland-Wallace and Jaden Hicks both came up big with interceptions, along with veteran Safety Justin Reid. Next man up.
Another stat to consider is that this team is on a 12-game winning streak, dating back to last season. If that isn’t remarkable enough, this is the first time Patrick Mahomes has started 6-0 in his career. The only other player to start a season at 6-0 with more interceptions than touchdowns was Peyton Manning with the Denver Broncos in 2012. They went to the Super Bowl but lost to the Seattle Seahawks.
The game has changed in the ensuing 12 years, and Patrick Mahomes is emblematic of that change because he led it. Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers have run into a streak of bad luck, player-wise. Without the services of Christian McCaffery, Deebo Samuels, Jauan Jennings, and now Brandon Aiyuk, it’s unlikely that we’ll see a Chiefs/49ers Super Bowl LIX rematch.
Be that as it may, Kansas City has 11 more games to play in the regular season. They need to shore up the offense with a veteran WR before the trade deadline on November 5th. Several possibilities are out there, but it remains to be seen whether or not Brett Veach is willing to deal with what will likely be a temporary/one-season fix. It could be costly, but Veach is known to pull together cap-friendly team-friendly deals.
I would like to see a Darius Slayton, Mike Williams, DeAndre Hopkins-type of playmaker—an older Rashee Rice-type of possession receiver. JuJu Smith-Schuster tweaked his hamstring, so I don’t expect he’ll be available for at least a few weeks. That just magnifies the need. Now Mecole Hardman came through a couple of times with a 55-yard punt return and that jet sweep resulting in a score. But that isn’t catching the ball. Travis Kelce didn’t make any significant numbers but is a first-down grabbing machine. Noah Gray scored 66 yards on the day as the leading receiver.
Here’s what I think Patrick Mahomes needs to concentrate on. He was guiding his reads so that the opposing defense was not sure where he would throw the ball. Even though both of his picks were technically not his fault, he is still responsible for where they end up. He can push the defense to move in unanticipated directions by guiding his reads.
He gave a small example of that on his 33-yard scamper. As he moved forward, he looked hard toward a possible receiver and even faked the pump to draw the defender in the opposite direction. Then, he continued his sideline run. He was acting and not thinking. He was playing football. Mahomes-brand football went for a significant gain. He is an absolute master at this when he just plays. That’s where he needs to get back to.
All in all, this was a team win—one for all and all for one.
