Chiefs Hall of Honor inductee offers Patrick Mahomes some sobering advice
Following their 20-14 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders over the weekend — their third loss in the last four games — the Kansas City Chiefs are searching for answers for why the team has gone 3-5 since its 6-1 start.
Some have attributed it to K.C.’s failure to add a legitimate a No. 1 wide receiver and the offense’s subsequent lack of explosive plays because of it, but Hall of Honor inductee Dante Hall believes he has the solution to help Mahomes — and the offense — get back on track.
“Patrick Mahomes — I love you you’re my favorite quarterback, but I think you need to fall in love with the mundane,” Hall said during an appearance on “Good Morning Football” Wednesday morning. “Yes, for five years we have been used to the big plays to Tyreek (Hill) and to (Travis) Kelce and all of that — it’s time to be check -down Tom Brady. … Check downs — when it’s there, take it. Don’t look for the big play. Get a rhythm. If there’s a five-yard check down, throw it (to that player).”
There’s no question Mahomes has been off his game this season. He’s averaging 262.5 yards passing per game — the lowest mark of his career — and his 6.9 yards per completion are also the lowest of his career. (He averaged eight yards or more in five of his previous six seasons.)
Mahomes also averages the second-fewest completed air yards (how many yards the ball travels in the air from the line of scrimmage) per pass, per NextGen Stats.
Despite ranking fourth in passing yards and seventh in completion percentage, the Chiefs rank 19th in yards per pass attempt (6.9) and 25th in yards per completion (10.3), per Pro Football Reference.
They also rank 15th in pass plays of 20 or more yards (46) and 19th in pass plays of 40 or more yards (six) after ranking first (73) and second (13), respectively, in both categories last season.
Kelce and rookie Rashee Rice have combined for 20 receptions of 20 yards or more this year, but beyond that, K.C. isn’t getting the same big-play production from its depth receivers that it had in 2022 when Marquez Valdes-Scantling (13), JuJu Smith-Schuster (nine), Jerick McKinnon (six) and Mecole Hardman (five) logged a combined 33 catches longer than 20 yards.
Only Kelce and receiver Skyy Moore have a reception longer than 50 yards this season.
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