Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes says he needs to fix bad habit to get offense back on track

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes says an old transgression popped up too often during his rewatch of Monday’s 20-14 home loss to the Las Vegas Raiders.

Specifically, Mahomes said he frequently had poor footwork as KC attempted to rally against Las Vegas.

“I think anytime you see me drifting backwards in the pocket, that’s never good for the team,” Mahomes said. “That’s something that goes back to my Texas Tech days, where I get in these old habits of: I’m trying to make a big play happen.”

Statistically, Mahomes had one of his worst outings Monday in seven NFL seasons. His 5.34 yards per pass attempt marked his fourth-lowest total as a pro, while his 34.2 offensive grade at Pro Football Focus ranked as the bottom mark in his career.

Even simple throws weren’t easy at times, as Mahomes admittedly bailed on clean pockets while trying to look for splash plays.

“I think towards the end of the game, you saw that as I was drifting, maybe looking at the D-line. That’s stuff that’s gotten me in trouble before, and so you just learn from that stuff and try to get back to my footwork and fundamentals,” Mahomes said. “And I think if I can do that and let the offense work for me, then I can go out there and have success.”

Mahomes said an essential part of each week is to be self-critical. In this instance, he was especially disappointed that after giving a sideline speech to the offensive linemen during the game — and they stepped up their play after — he was the one who didn’t play as well.

“I think that then it’s on me to — if I’m gonna challenge them to be better, I have to better within the pocket. And so I was proud of how those guys responded throughout the middle parts of that game and then towards the end of it,” Mahomes said. “But I have to trust those guys as much as I talk. And so that’s on me to be better and better as games go on, and don’t drift and try to do too much.”

It wasn’t just on Mahomes. Coach Andy Reid took responsibility Wednesday for some of the miscues, saying “a variety of things” kept Mahomes from being his best.

“I’ve got to help him with some of that. And then he’s aware of what he’s got to work on. I’m aware of what I’ve got to work on. And Nags (offensive coordinator Matt Nagy) feels the same way,” Reid said. “So we just make sure we’re right all the way around. But it takes everybody.”

Mahomes noticeably scrambled more during Monday’s game against the Raiders. According to NFL Next Gen Stats (and CBS reporter Jonathan Jones), Mahomes covered more than 900 yards against Las Vegas, which rivaled the 945 yards he spanned during the Super Bowl LV loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

On Wednesday, Mahomes acknowledged the Raiders loss “wasn’t my best performance.” He noted there were times when throws were there and he didn’t take them, and other examples when he didn’t make it to his final progressions when he should have.

“That’s just stuff I have to be better at,” Mahomes said. “And I think if I’m better at that, it’ll make the whole offense better.”