Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes keeping busy even during bye week

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The timing of the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs’ bye this week couldn’t have come at a greater time for Patrick Mahomes. And never simply because the bumps and bruises from the primary seven video games of the NFL season can have an opportunity to heal.

There’s the Kansas Metropolis Present, the ladies’s skilled soccer workforce owned in occasion by his spouse Brittany, who might be enjoying the Portland Thorns for the NWSL championship on Saturday in Washington, D.C. And the Kansas Metropolis Royals, the Main League Baseball membership by which he owns an curiosity, who’re closing in on hiring a brand new supervisor.

Oh, after which there’s “Name of Responsibility” along with his buds.

It was enjoying that recreation with JuJu Smith-Schuster, Travis Kelce and Marquez Valdes-Scantling every week in the past that Mahomes credited with improved communication in final week’s win over San Francisco.

For the primary time all season, Mahomes appeared to be on the identical web page along with his new vast receivers alongside along with his venerable tight finish, and the consequence was an offensive explosion towards one of many NFL’s greatest defenses. The 44-23 victory despatched Kansas Metropolis into its week off 5-2 and atop the AFC West, slightly than 4-3 and tied for the lead with the Chargers.

“I don’t play on a regular basis,” Mahomes defined afterward. “I had a free night time on Friday, so I informed them, ‘I’ll get on with y’all for a short time.’ It was me, Travis, Marquez and JuJu. Marquez and JuJu are actually good. Me and Travis are simply all proper. We did our half and we went three-for-three with three wins in Warzone, which I don’t do typically.

“So,” Mahomes stated in a segue to going through the 49ers, “I felt fairly good about it going into the sport.”

In reality, Mahomes ought to be feeling good about the best way the primary half of the season has gone.

The massive query mark surrounding the Chiefs needed to do with changing Tyreek Hill, the speedy safety blanket for Mahomes the previous a number of years. However his numbers via the primary seven video games have been nearly as good as ever: He leads the NFL in landing passes (20), yards passing (2,159) and passer ranking (109.5) amongst true quarterbacks, all whereas going through three of the highest 10 scoring defenses within the NFL over that point interval.

Towards the 49ers, when Mahomes threw for 423 yards and three scores, Valdes-Scantling caught three balls for 111 yards and Smith-Schuster caught seven for 124 and a rating. It was the primary time Mahomes had two gamers with at the least 100 yards receiving in a recreation by which neither participant was Kelce or Hill.

Kansas Metropolis Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) smiles after the Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers in an NFL soccer recreation in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Oct. 23, 2022.

“Patrick Mahomes is the definition of a Corridor of Famer. He’s modified the sport,” Payments move rusher Von Miller stated. “No one has ever performed the sport like he has. He’s left a mark on our sport, left a mark on our league.

“And,” Miller stated, “he’s influenced his teammates to play at the next stage than they usually would.”

Talking of Corridor of Fame, the win over the 49ers was the fifty fifth in Mahomes’ first 70 begins, tying Corridor of Famer Ken Stabler for the second most at that stage in an NFL profession. Solely Otto Graham, one other member of the Corridor of Fame, has began off higher with 56 wins for the reason that NFL started monitoring such numbers in 1950.

Mahomes preserve rewriting Chiefs historical past, too.

He simply handed Trent Inexperienced for the second most passes accomplished in a profession with 1,726, and he wants 360 yards to move Inexperienced (21,549) for second in yards passing. At his present price, he might prime Corridor of Famer Len Dawson (28,507) for No. 1 sooner or later subsequent season, together with breaking Lenny the Cool’s file for TD passes (237).

“He’s too loopy enjoyable,” stated one other Corridor of Fame quarterback, Joe Montana. “He does every part you inform each quarterback you’ll be able to’t do or don’t do. He does all of it and does it effectively. You don’t throw off your again foot, don’t go this manner, don’t throw sidearm, don’t throw late down the center. He is likely one of the most proficient guys that you simply’ll see in that place.”

The consequence are performs that few different quarterbacks within the NFL could make.

“Some guys simply have that innate capability to look down area and attempt to make a play,” Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy stated. “He has that pilot imaginative and prescient eyes the place he can see the whole area. Some guys don’t have that the place they will mainly see a flag being thrown from their left and in addition perceive, ‘I’ve receivers probably open down area,’ as a result of the defensive slacked off. So, we’re encouraging that. We would like him to strive (to) make a play at any time when doable.”

He received’t need to make any performs this week, although. Mahomes might be busy watching the Present play for a title and maybe fielding a cellphone name or two from Royals common supervisor J.J. Picollo, who’ll be wrapping up their managerial search.

Even so, soccer most likely received’t be removed from Mahomes’ thoughts.

___

Extra AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

SHARE: