Chiefs let Mahomes down again and their schedule’s about to get worse

Playing quarterback in the NFL obviously comes with heavy scrutiny. Patrick Mahomes has dealt with critics and doubters throughout various points in his football career. But as usual, he and the Kansas City Chiefs are going to continue to see everyone's best shot every week.

Mahomes was very impressive in the first game of the season. Even with a loss in Brazil, the Chiefs' signal caller was effective as a runner, throwing on the run, and reintroducing a deep ball to the K.C. offense. Kansas City still had some issues to clean up going into the next game offensively. Yet, Mahomes was placed with a massive burden on his shoulders in Week 1.

Mahomes answered until the very end. Unfortunately for the Chiefs, his effort was not enough to get them across the finish line victoriously.

Kansas City has been able to win many games and win Super Bowls by having Patrick Mahomes act as Superman. However, the team is going to have to pick things up around him if they are going to get on a roll soon. The Chiefs cannot continue to be so average around one of the best quarterbacks in the league.

The Chiefs have to find a way to help Mahomes out in the next few games.

The Chiefs truly did not make many moves this past offseason. A new draft class is expected to get a heavy dose of action throughout this season. Kansas City opted to re-sign a decent number of players. A good chunk of those are not getting any younger and are no longer in their prime. Sure, the free-agent class was largely hit and miss for key options. The Chiefs just did not make a ton of splashes this offseason.

Beginning with that framework heading into the 2025 regular season, there are many opportunities up for grabs all over the Kansas City roster. Younger pieces are looking to stake their claim for more defensive snaps on the defensive line and in the secondary.

Meanwhile, the Chiefs' wide receiver room continues to be a pick-your-poison situation of who will remain healthy and available. As a result, many of the most dependable spots on the team around Patrick Mahomes are potentially entering a transition or possible reset as the season gets deeper and into next year.

Let's focus on the current stretch that the Chiefs find themselves in. After dropping the first game in Brazil to the Los Angeles Chargers, they come home to face the Philadelphia Eagles in a Super Bowl rematch. Philadelphia lost some pieces from last year's defensive front. But as we know, physicality and toughness will remain an emphasis with the Eagles' defense. Do the Chiefs have what it takes to come through and help Mahomes make the necessary plays in that highly pressurized game?

Even if they survive that one, games against the Ravens, Lions, Raiders, and Commanders await before a date with the Bills. Kansas City will have time to adjust and adapt before we get all the way to some of those matchups. But when you consider the tough early schedule, and the weak points from the season-opening performance, it makes it that much more frustrating that the Chiefs made silly mistakes in an otherwise solid showing by Mahomes.

Kansas City has to be able to let Patrick Mahomes put an easy drive into the fairway from time to time. Do not force him to hit the perfect shot on each attempt. His heroics are as good as anyone's. But in this next stretch, especially if Xavier Worthy misses extended time, K.C. must learn to lessen the overall burden on his shoulders.