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Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Does Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes have a turnover problem?

By Conor Killmurray | Last updated Oct 10, 2024 8:05 AM ET

The Kansas City Chiefs are one of two unbeaten teams left in the NFL and appear on track to make a third consecutive Super Bowl trip a reality. Meanwhile, their franchise quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, is on track to finish the season with a career-high 20 interceptions.

Mahomes has thrown six interceptions in just the first five weeks of the season. According to ESPN, he is also on pace to record a career-low 20 touchdowns, and his passer rating currently sits at a career-low 88.9%.

This presents a troubling question for the Chiefs: Does Patrick Mahomes have a turnover problem?

For now, the answer is a resounding yes, but it hasn't stopped the Chiefs from winning. Still, the turnovers have led to tighter games, requiring the rest of the team to step up.

In Week 2, a timely pass interference penalty against the Cincinnati Bengals' defense put Chiefs' kicker Harrison Butker in range to kick the game-winning field goal.

In Week 3, the Chiefs defense made a key fourth-down stop of the Atlanta Falcons offense in the final seconds of the game.

However, the aftermath of the interception in Week 4 could have the greatest impact on the remainder of their season.

After Los Angeles Chargers cornerback Kristian Fulton picked off Mahomes, Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice made a play on the ball and caused a fumble. At the same time, Mahomes dove for the tackle, missing Fulton and hitting Rice in the leg instead.

Rice was carted off the field with an injury, resulting in season-ending surgery to repair the lateral collateral ligament in his right knee.

Chiefs WR Rashee Rice was carted off the field after this play: pic.twitter.com/3W2VZ46iPF
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 29, 2024

No matter how good a quarterback is, he's still fallible, and after Mahomes ascended into the upper echelon of his position, it's natural that he won't match his statistical highs every season. What looks concerning for the Chiefs is the consistency of turnovers week to week and some of the poor decision-making behind them.

Mahomes is no stranger to turnover issues, as last year he had a career-high 14 interceptions — the fourth most in the league. However, in last season's playoffs, Mahomes shook off his regular season form and threw for 1,051 yards and six touchdowns and ended up with a passer rating of 100.3.

It was the defense that propped up the Chiefs last season, but when they needed him most, Mahomes showed why many consider him the best quarterback in the NFL and led the game-winning drive in overtime during Super Bowl LVIII.

That's why it's hard to view these turnovers as a problem that will derail the Chiefs or even an issue that Mahomes won't correct soon enough.

On "Monday Night Football" against the New Orleans Saints, Mahomes threw for 331 yards in the 26-13 win. His lone interception on the night was due to defensive lineman Khalen Saunders catching a tipped ball in the end zone and returning it for 36 yards.

As the season progresses, it'll become harder to win every close game, and if Mahomes doesn't find his All-Pro form in the postseason, then the team's goal of winning three Super Bowls in a row will never materialize.

So, whether Mahomes has a turnover problem is a question that will linger over the Chiefs each week, and its answer will determine the course of the defending champions' season.

Conor Killmurray

Conor Killmurray is a long-suffering fan of New York sports, particularly the Giants and Mets—a potent combination for heartbreak, if you ask him. He graduated from West Chester University with a degree in English and enjoys searching for the most interesting sports stories to write about.

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