The Chiefs are back from their bye with a big matchup against the Eagles coming up on Monday night.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes told reporters during his Thursday press conference that he spent a lot of time with family but also took some time to look at football.
“I always go back to the fundamentals, try to get back to my fundamentals as best as I can during the bye week,” Mahomes said. “Then I think watching the tape — seeing what we did well, what we can improve on and then try to use that into this next part of the season and try to be even better than we went into the bye.
“I think what I’ve realized now is, it’s never as big as it seems, it’s always little things as far as fundamentals as far as games and stuff like that. It doesn’t surprise me now — instead of trying to make these big, huge changes you just go back to the fundamentals and try to execute better.”
After winning his second MVP award last year, Mahomes has completed 68.6 percent of his passes for 2,442 yards with 17 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He’s also rushed for 258 yards, averaging 6.1 yards per carry.
But Mahomes’ rapport and chemistry with his receivers have been a significant point of discussion, as the Chiefs rank No. 8 in yards and No. 13 in points. Tight end Travis Kelce has 57 catches on 72 targets for 597 yards with four touchdowns. Rookie Rashee Rice is second on the team with 32 receptions on 41 targets for 378 yards with four TDs.
“I’ve always felt like throughout the season the chemistry gets better and better,” Mahomes said. “Obviously, everybody wants the receivers to blow up and everything like that. I think guys have gotten better as the season has gone on. They’ll continue to get better.
“We’re making strides in the right direction, and I think we’ll keep doing that as the season goes and hopefully carry that into the playoffs.”
It likely won’t be easy to get things going against the Eagles. But if the Chiefs can come out firing after their bye, they’ll be in a good position to clinch the AFC West sooner than later.