Patrick

Mahomes

It’s never great to see a star quarterback on the injury report, but a full practice means the knee injury should be a non-issue by Sunday. That better be the case for Mahomes as he is set to take on the Texans’ vaunted pass-rush with as many as three of his starting linemen on the sidelines because of injuries. Expect a lot of quick passing and an uptick in scrmalbing for Mahomes this week.

Mahomes and the Chiefs found themselves in another fourth quarter hole from which to dig themselves out of, this time unable to replicate the late magic they showed against the Colts last week. His four touchdown tosses matched a season high set back in Week 4 against the Ravens, but their defense was unable to contain a Dallas offense that amassed a robust 457 total yards of offense. The loss drops the Chiefs to 6-6 and on the outside looking in on the playoff picture in the AFC. Mahomes and the Chiefs turn their attention to a tough Texans team in Week 14 in desperate need of a win.

Mahomes also added 30 yards on the ground and threw a two-point conversion to Rashee Rice. This was a doomsday scenario game for the Chiefs from the jump. Mahomes’ first pass of the day was batted and then intercepted by Colts EDGE Laiatu Latu. The turnover set up the Colts for an easy touchdown. The Colts would hold a lead or at least keep the score until the final whistle. Kansas City needed an 87-yard drive to set up a game-tying field goal at the end of the fourth quarter. Mahomes then put together an 81-yard drive in overtime that ended in a game-winning boot from Harrison Butker. This was the type of game the Chiefs routinely won last year and haven’t been able to close in 2025. Kansas City went 11-0 in one-score games in 2024. This was their first one-score win of 2025. Not that the Chiefs need a confidence builder, but this will certainly help right the ship after a middling two months of football. Mahomes will remain near the top of the QB1 ranks for his Week 13 date with the Cowboys.

All the hallmarks of 2024 Mahomes were here: the overthrown open deep shots, the tendency to take major sacks, and the Chiefs offense as a whole feeling constipated and unable to get out of their own way. Early PFF charting had the Chiefs allowing eight pressures, and one of the important late sacks showed two ancillary blockers both trying to pick up the same linebacker on a blitz, leaving an easy path for Ja’Quan McMillian to the backfield. Mahomes threw a pick-six in this game that was taken off the board by an illegal contact penalty, but then drifted out of the pocket later in that drive, near the red zone, and threw one that counted in a game the Chiefs lost by three points. Is it troubling to see this out of the bye? A bit. Are we moving Mahomes off the QB1 line against the Colts? Probably not.

Mahomes was under constant pressure from the Buffalo defensive line tonight, and that only ramped up when Jawaan Taylor left the game in the fourth quarter, which meant Mahomes was playing behind two reserve offensive tackles. He still made his fair share of improbable throws and kept the Chiefs in a game in which they really should have trailed by two scores. This Chiefs offensive line may have its hands full with the Broncos in two weeks as well, if they can’t get healthy, which would keep Mahomes as a fringe QB1 in fantasy leagues.

Mahomes threw interceptions on consecutive drives for the first time in his career on the Chiefs’ first two possessions of the game, the first an undercut back shoulder through by Washington corner Marcus Lattimore and the second a ball off veteran tight end Travis Kelce’s hands over the middle of the field. The Chiefs would shut out the Commanders after the break, during which time Mahomes would lead three straight touchdown drives that culminated receiving touchdowns by Kareem Hunt, Travis Kelce, and Rashee Rice. The defense would do the rest as the Chiefs coasted to a comfortable win after the early miscues. Up next for the 5-3 Chiefs is a gauntlet of opponents that begins with the Bills on the road in Week 9 before facing the Broncos and Colts.

The Chiefs found the end zone on their first four offensive drives, and did so in dominant fashion. Mahomes drove the Chiefs 92 yards on their first drive of the game and connected with Rashee Rice on a two-yard score via a signature shovel pass, and returned to lead a 17 play, 84 yard drive on the ensuing possession that chewed nearly nine minutes off the game clock. That second drive ended with an eight-yard touchdown pass to Hollywood Brown, while their third drive, which went 94 yards, was capped with another short touchdown pass to Rice. Mahomes nearly turned the ball over a few times in the second half, at one point bouncing passes off defenders’ hands in back-to-back plays, but everything was going right for the Chiefs in Sunday’s shellacking. Mahomes has now thrown for three touchdowns in back-to-back weeks and has a fully healthy receiving corps for the first time all season. He gets a generous Week 8 matchup against the Commanders next week and should be on the QB1 radar in a game that could feature plenty of scoring.

Mahomes played an inspired game, marching the field and converting when he had to and delivering the grit in other situations. His second quarter rushing score from one yard out falls in the latter bucket; it allowed the Chiefs to double the Lions up around the break after tacking on another score on their first possession of the second half. It was that 14-point spurt that put the Chiefs up for good. Mahomes has continued to have to overcome a largely nonexistent run game as he still leads the team in rushing through six weeks, but the team gets standout wide receiver Rashee Rice back after his six-game suspension culminated with the win, giving Mahomes his top option through the air back ahead of a Week 7 divisional tilt against the Raiders.

The Chiefs jumped out to an early 14-0 lead but didn’t score again until the fourth quarter. A 99-yard pick-six by Devin Lloyd at the end of the third quarter gave the Jaguars their first lead of the game and served as a 14-point swing, forcing Mahomes into desperation mode in the final frame. Penalties also played a massive role in the defeat, with four special teams infractions routinely leading to poor field position for Kansas City and excellent field position for Jacksonville. Kicker Harrison Butker kicked the ball out of bounds on the kickoff following a Kansas City touchdown with under two minutes remaining, giving the Jaguars the ball at the 40 for their game-winning drive. Mahomes continues to lead the team in rushing through five games, a completely unsustainable trend if they are to return to the AFC Championship game for the eighth consecutive season. In all, it was a poor team performance for the Chiefs that drops them to 2-3 ahead of a Sunday Night Football clash with the surging Lions in Week 6.

This is a new injury for Mahomes, who was listed on the injury report with a right wrist injury in recent weeks. The superstar quarterback totaled 13 carries for 123 yards and two touchdowns in Weeks 1-2. Over the last two weeks, he has rushed nine times for just seven yards. While Mahomes will assuredly be on the field for the Chiefs’ Week 5 game against the Jaguars, a return to his early-season rushing productivity appears to be unlikely. He is a mid-tier QB1, operating as a pocket passer.