By Andrew Banks
Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid have accomplished what no one could have imagined when Mahomes was drafted 10th overall in 2017. They became the first team in NFL history to appear in five Super Bowls in six seasons, from 2019 to 2024. Three Lombardi Trophies later, you would think the Chiefs had nothing left to prove, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.
The NFL is about constant change. You have to reinvent yourself every year because someone is always watching and scheming to beat you. The Chiefs found that out the hard way last season, as they limped to a 6-11 record, the worst of Mahomes’ career. Until last year, the Chiefs made the AFC Championship Game every year with Mahomes as their starter.
Now, Mahomes is writing the second chapter of his already storied career, and this time he wants to do it on his own terms. He looked like the Mahomes of old, a sight that should strike fear into the rest of the National Football League.
“I thought he did a nice job of getting the ball out on time,” said Reid about his franchise quarterback. He made quite a few line-of-scrimmage checks and was accurate with those. He played a good football game; the numbers show that, but also the little things he did were good.”
The Chiefs improved to 2-0, beating the Indianapolis Colts in a vintage Chiefs overtime thriller, 33-30. Harrison Butker kicked the winning 40-yard field goal.
It was a banner game for an offense regaining the explosive edge that once defined it. The Chiefs racked up 523 yards: 371 through the air and 152 on the ground. According to Pro-Football-Reference, Sunday night was the first time the Chiefs had 500 or more yards, 31+ points, and zero turnovers in a game since the 13-second game against the Bills in the ’21 postseason.
Most importantly, Patrick Mahomes looked like himself again after a rough Week 1 debut. The numbers looked okay: 184 passing yards and 2 touchdowns, but he completed only 55% of his passes and threw a bad interception. The run game was dominant (220 yards on 38 carries).
“I played too fast,” said Mahomes when asked about the difference between the Broncos game and this week’s game against Indianapolis.
There were guys open on tape, and I was getting through my reads too quickly and getting it to the check downs too fast, so I needed to be better with that. They put a lot of assets into stopping the run, and it opened up the play-action game. I got through my reads the right way and got the ball out of my hands. Obviously, it was a step in the right direction.”
This time around, he let it fly around the yard and looked much more confident in the pocket. He trusted his receivers to make plays and unleashed a 45-yard rocket to Tyquan Thornton in the third quarter.
“I thought he did a nice job of getting the ball out on time, said Coach Reid. He made quite a few line-of-scrimmage checks and was accurate with those. He played a good football game; the numbers show that, but also the little things he did was good.”
It was the first time since Week 1, 2022, that Patrick Mahomes threw for 350 yards, three touchdowns, and zero interceptions. Newly acquired running back Kenneth Walker III compiled 117 rushing yards against the Colts and 290 rushing yards in his first two games as a Kansas City Chief. It was the most rushing yards by a Chief in a two-game span since Jamaal Charles did it in Weeks 13 and 14 of the 2012 season. Even Travis Kelce caught 9 passes for 101 yards and scored a touchdown, surpassing Hall of Fame running back Marshall Faulk’s record of 6,230 career yards after the catch and cementing his spot at the top of the all-time list.
It was the second straight game the Chiefs scored 30 or more points, a sight for sore eyes. The offense has been difficult to watch over the last two seasons. Concepts were getting stale, and Andy Reid and Co. desperately needed a scheme refresh.
For too long, the Chiefs relied on an offensive game plan that demanded Patrick Mahomes be Superman every week. It made the Chiefs predictable, boring, and plain bad. Mahomes tearing his ACL and MCL in Week 15 last season was the final gut punch for the fanbase during a nightmare season for Kansas City. It was easily his worst season as a pro, and the organization was forced to go back to the drawing board once again.
But to be completely honest, it was for the best. The Chiefs needed change. They needed to reevaluate their entire identity. After five trips to the Super Bowl, six wins were nowhere near acceptable.
Chiefs fans deserved better, and General Manager Brett Veach and Andy Reid went to work in the offseason to improve this football team. The first order of business was to get younger. The Chiefs’ core of Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and Chris Jones is all over 30, and Veach was armed with a high draft pick for the first time since taking over as General Manager.
He was aggressive in jumping up to the 6th overall pick and snagged the best cornerback in the draft: LSU kid Mansoor Delane. He’s projected to be an above-average player at his position, and he’s already shown why, with an interception in the first game against Denver.
Veach may have nailed this draft, as he did in 2022, when he found five starters. That group of players (Trent McDuffie, George Karlaftis, Bryan Cook, Leo Chenal, and Isiah Pacheco) set them up to win two more Super Bowls.
There’s a belief in Chiefs Kingdom that this group of rookies can have the same impact. Defensive tackle Peter Woods, edge rusher R Mason Thomas, wide receiver Cyrus Allen, and running back Emmett Johnson will all play vital roles and bring the youth, speed, and athleticism this team has sorely lacked.
A 2-0 start is great, but the season is far from over. Kansas City looks like an elite team in the AFC this year, but the NFL is a week-to-week league. You can look like a million bucks one week and be living out of a box the next. That’s how quickly things can change. The Chiefs were far from perfect against the Colts last Sunday. The defense allowed 30 points to a Colts team that the Baltimore Ravens smacked around 41-23 in Week 1. The pass rush was nonexistent, and the secondary gave up a ton of yards and wide-open looks in the passing game.
The Chiefs can hang their hat on the run game, which has been dominant early this season. Kenneth Walker III, the MVP of Super Bowl 60 with the Seahawks, has breathed life into this offense and makes the Chiefs hard to game plan for. If you sell out to stop the run (like the Colts did), it makes passing easier and opens up play-action. But if you sit back in coverage, the Chiefs can run it down your throat. That combination is deadly, and the Chiefs finally have balance. Patrick doesn’t have to carry the team on his back. He can hand it to Walker (or K9, as he’s affectionately known) and let him do some dirty work. It’s a luxury they haven’t had in over a decade, but it’s a welcome sight.
With so many rookies and young players on both sides of the ball, it’s all about learning while building championship habits. With the leaders on this team, there’s little doubt the Chiefs can correct their flaws and turn them into strengths as the season rolls on.
“We’re playing a lot of young players,” said Coach Reid. We have to keep growing and stacking these days throughout the season and get ourselves playing even better football.”
