Aug 22, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) talks with former communications personnel Ted Crews after the game against the Chicago Bears at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images Denny Medley-Imagn Images

What Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes Is Still Trying to Prove

Originally posted on Kansas City Chiefs on SI
By Fernando Alfaro-Donis | Last updated Aug 29, 2025 7:00 AM ET

Patrick Mahomes was on a career trajectory to potentially overtake the legendary Tom Brady as the undisputed GOAT of football. However, his two embarrassing Super Bowl losses threw a wrench in that, and now it remains to be seen if he can catch up to Brady's shadow.

Mahomes is still on a legendary run, and even if he'll never have the same level of dominance as Brady did in his heyday, it doesn't mean that he won't find success again. He's still a player who has a lot of football to be played, and when it's all said and done, his accomplishments may even surpass those of Brady.

One of the necessities of being a top quarterback in the NFL is constant improvement on a year-to-year basis. Mahomes has seen a lot of highs and lows as the starting quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs, but does he still have room for improvement heading into his ninth season with the team?

Area of Improvement

John Kosko is a sports writer for Pro Football Focus, and he released an article going over each starting quarterback's biggest weakness heading into the new season. For Mahomes, his weakness is his performance in a clean pocket.

"I’m not going to be the one to predict Mahomes' downfall. He could retire today and be a first-ballot Hall of Fame quarterback. But there is no question that his level of play the past two years hasn’t been at the level of his first five seasons as a starter, a span in which his 95.9 PFF overall grade was the best in the NFL", said Kosko.

The expectation with the Chiefs is that next season will be a return to form for the team, but especially for Mahomes. He has the best receiving corps he's had in years, and once Rashee Rice comes back from his suspension, this offense should be firing on all cylinders.

"He was excellent in every facet of the game, from an NFL-best clean-pocket PFF grade (97.9) to a league-leading 78.1 PFF grade under pressure. The past two seasons have revealed some cracks in Mahomes' armor".

"When throwing from a clean pocket, he ranks just 10th in the NFL in PFF grade (93.1). That's nitpicking, but for Mahomes to get back to his otherworldly level of play, he needs to do more from clean pockets".

Mahomes has to be better at making more happen from a clean pocket, which is something that isn't easily afforded with his inconsistent offensive line play. Hopefully, with an improved array of pass catchers, he's more comfortable attempting deep passes and chunk plays, which will improve his grade in this category.

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This article first appeared on Kansas City Chiefs on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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