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There’s no denying that Patrick Mahomes, the quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs, has been “off” at times this season. But there’s a time and a place for everything, and talking head Skip Bayless chose the exact worst moment to give his opinion on Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Following a 34-28 overtime triumph against the Los Angeles Chargers, a game with two of the league’s most explosive teams and two of the league’s most intriguing young quarterbacks in Mahomes and Justin Herbert, Bayless unleashed one of his most fiery retorts.
It was hot out of the oven, but it wasn’t done properly.
Patrick Mahomes received a C+ rating from Skip Bayless for his performance against the Chargers.
Is Mahomes a perfect quarterback? Certainly not. Even the most diehard Kansas City supporter would admit that he missed a few opportunities.
On 4th-and-1 from the Chargers’ two-yard line, he was tipped and picked off near his own goalline in what should have been a straightforward toss into the flats, and he even missed a wide-open Mecole Hardman for a walk-in score. Mahomes couldn’t get a firm grip on the ball and tossed it into the ground.
Despite this, he passed for 410 yards and three touchdowns, including two fourth-quarter touchdown passes in response to two LA touchdown drives. In overtime, he also delivered the game-winning touchdown pass to Travis Kelce.
Nonetheless, Bayless was unimpressed.
“I’m going to give Patrick Mahomes, who was previously the MVP of this league and the Super Bowl MVP, a little steeper curve because he was the MVP not that long ago…. On “Undisputed,” Bayless commented to his co-host Shannon Sharpe, “I’ll give him a C+ for last night, and I’ll give him a plus because he did close [the game].” “The issue was, none of these young guns really blew me away last night.” I’m sorry, but I couldn’t help myself. They were both as much off as they were on. Patrick Mahomes, as has been the case for most of the year, was often off.”
Bayless’ take on Mahomes was a complete disaster.
The Kansas City Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes #15 runs for a first down during their 34-28 victory against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium | Harry How/Getty Images
Nobody can deny that Mahomes hasn’t been particularly exceptional this season.
He’s passed for 4,052 yards and 30 touchdowns, but he’s also thrown 13 interceptions and three picks in his previous four games. That is, however, the amusing aspect about it. In terms of both yards and touchdowns, he’s still in the top five in the league in both categories. Yes, he’s been “off,” but his terrible performance still puts him above of 90% of the league’s quarterbacks.
That’s what made Bayless’ position so perplexing.
“It makes me feel shaky.” Because he has lost some confidence, it [jarred] my eyes. He’s lost some of his bravado. He’s lost some precision and trust in the method that made him a superstar…as in no-look, behind the back, left-handed between the legs passes,” Bayless remarked. “The league has figured him out, so he doesn’t have as much trust in those throws as he used to.”
Against the Chargers, Mahomes missed a couple passes, but he still produced a number of plays that only he and Aaron Rodgers can do in this league. He threw a number of fantastic passes while on the move and not in the pocket. Despite his problems, he flashed downfield with his massive arm, which has never gone away. He was even Kansas City’s highest rusher with 32 yards on three runs, averaging 10.7 yards per carry.
Mahomes completed 31 of 47 passes for 410 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception in the game. He scored 105.8 in the exam. He accounted for 442 of Kansas City’s 496 yards on offense, including his rushes.
These aren’t the stats of a quarterback who has been identified.
The Chiefs of Kansas City are on a tear.
During the first half of the game against the Los Angeles Chargers, Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs looks on | Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images
Would anybody be astonished if the Chiefs went to two consecutive Super Bowls, winning one, and did it again this season?
The frightening part is that, while Mahomes has been out, Kansas City has continued to roll. Kansas City is 10-4 in the AFC West, two games ahead of the 8-6 Chargers. They have now won seven consecutive games and are the top seed in the AFC playoffs after the Patriots were defeated by the Colts on Saturday. The seedings will most certainly shift over the following several weeks, but Kansas City is in a fantastic position at this stage in the season.
The Chiefs opened the season 3-4 and looked far from the powerhouse that we’ve gotten used to thanks to head coach Andy Reid and Mahomes’ stellar performance. Kansas City, on the other hand, seems to be back in contention.
The Chiefs’ last three games are against playoff-bound opponents in the Steelers, Bengals, and Broncos, respectively. It won’t be easy to finish the season with a 10-game winning streak, but who would bet against Kansas City at this point?
Bayless is incorrect. Mahomes is still a mystery to the league. He may not be an MVP contender this season, but as the playoffs near, all but a few NFL clubs would love to have him as their quarterback.
ESPN and Pro Football Reference provided the statistics. Spotrac provides contract information.
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