David Bell
I don’t know about you, but the thought occurs to me that Mahomes and his miracle plays has been largely absent in 2023. I must admit that I am an unabashed Chiefs fan and have been since the beginning of the outfit in 1960. Yes, that is how long I have been a fan. I dearly beloved HC Hank Stram and the players of the 60s and early 70s. It was a wonderful time to be a fan and I was not only a Chiefs fan but a large proponent of the AFL. Two of the Chiefs spoke at my high school’s Athletic Banquet in 1967 and I attended a Church camp that coincided with the early training session of the Chiefs in 1966. Both of these events were a “wonder” for a youth about to enter football at his high school.
.
Tales from the AFL — Photo Credit
.
Looking back, K.C. had a wonderful opening decade, followed by nearly two decades of… largely mediocrity. I truly wish that Marty Schottenheimer (RiP) had gotten to the Super Bowl in the 90s. I really liked what he did as the Chiefs Head Coach. I even appreciated Marv Levy for heaven’s sake.
Reflecting on 2022
I sat back and took a look at games from 2022. Of course, there were foiled efforts such as the game vs the Colts at Indy. That loss was hard to stomach. It sort of reminded me of the opening-day loss to the Lions in 2023. Another loss that was difficult to swallow was the loss to the Bills in October by 4 points — 20-24 — and I did not expect KC to lose to the Bengals twice during that regular season. However, that is how the season unfolded. We all know about the run to the AFC championship and the Super Bowl victory over the Eagles to cap off the season. What a marvelous season, what a wonderful time.
.
In an article at NFL.com by Grant Gordon, called, “Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes puts WR struggles on himself” he quotes Mahomes as saying,
.
“I just haven’t played very good to start the
season, so I think if I start playing better,
everybody will start playing better.”
.
Recall also that it took Mahomes and his new crew of WRs several games to get untracked last year… but by the last few games the Chiefs offense was hitting on all cylinders. In 2023, let’s try to alleviate the impatience.
.
We Kept the Wrong Guy
As this past offseason rolled in, I really wanted to retain JuJu Smith-Schuster. The “BUT” is that KC had made a multiple-year contractual agreement with Marquez Valdez-Scantling. If you were reading the rational tea leaves, then you probably foresaw that JuJu would depart… which is exactly what happened. That truly was unfortunate because JSS was an integral part of the aerial game for PMII. Retaining JuJu was probably an impossible task that financially could not be managed. So? We functionally retained the wrong guy.
.
The 2023 Truth of the Matter
Patrick Mahomes is ranked about #4 as a QB in 2023. This will improve as the season progresses. After all, the Chiefs are 5-1 and most prognosticators had them with a far worse record at this point. Projecting the positive… beat the Chargers at home and go to Germany and take it to the Dolphins, then the record and result are above respectable. After all, the Chiefs, 49ers, and Eagles are all 5-1.
.
.
However, watching Patrick lead the offense, leaves me a bit perplexed. What’s missing? The Miracle Plays. Those plays that extend drives, and get to the Red Zone resulting in a TD! It seems that the passes are… “just missing.” Recall the pass to Justin Watson vs. the Broncos. The ball deflected just off of Watson’s fingertips. This was the play during which Watson suffered his elbow injury. Watson is now going to miss action in several games.
This is just a single example.
When observing his own play, PMII said in a Pressor Wednesday:
.
“We’ve got guys who have done it… We have guys who have been in those moments. They know how to step up and make those plays happen. When the offense isn’t playing good, the defense plays well, and vice versa. Special teams … I mean, we pick each other up. It’s not just about one side of the ball, it’s not just about one player. It’s about the whole team. And I think we do a great job of finding a way to win games, whenever someone didn’t have a good game, someone else picks them up.”
.
Watching Games in 2023 – Film Review
Each game this year has accomplishments and errors. When I reviewed each game I became convinced that PMII is not taking advantage of the WRs who have gotten open early in the play’s progression. Perhaps it is due to Mahomes reads in the play sequence. Perhaps it is the fact that he is looking for a bigger “Strike” for more yards downfield. I am sure part of the problem is the same as 2022: New WRs who are not familiar with the route trees and that takes a period of time to develop. Witness what happened last year (0:49).
.
.
I am confident that the connection between Patrick and the “several” receivers will continue to develop. But it is a time-consuming process – especially for the fans. My view is he must take what is available even if it is a 3-7 yard gain. I also think the play-calling has suffered thus far. Reid or Nagy, have called plays that make no sense. The “Fool em” oddity play stuff has not worked, when it has been called.
I hope to see the Chiefs offense use their positives and go straight at the opposing defense. Our Offensive Line is strong — and they need to be used effectively. Of course, that means stopping the penalties, which is also part of the problem. It’s tough to win when the team shoots itself in the collective foot, game after game. Here the top ten from footballdatabase.com (Chiefs are #6 in overall Penalties):
.
.
Here’s wha one of our bloggers — Freshmeat — had to say about Mahomes hitting his WRs:
.
“I think PM could do more in involving the WR’s. I’ve noticed when they do replays from different angles that there were receivers open in shorter distances but PM would wait and throw to receivers farther down field. Sometimes into tighter coverage. He has admitted that he needs to look for shorter throws, but he doesn’t seem to do it. It looks to me that he has more protection, and more time to throw this year, but it seems that he is running more than ever. That tells me that the WR’s are not finding open spots. I’m disappointed that Moore isn’t being used more. I thought after 2 preseason vists to “PM’s mini-camps” in Texas, and a year of playing with him, that he would be the go-to guy. I was a little more encouraged (but not by much) with the WR’s involvement last week. But one thing is for sure, the Chiefs will not be winning any SB this year w/o more WR involvement.”
.
I am prayerful that the Chiefs put aside the nonsense and errors. Let’s get down to business. The next piece of work is winning the game vs. the Chargers. Don’t look down the road. HC Andy Reid may not be fearful in any game situation. The fans are far less certain and rightfully so! Andy Reid has made comments about league parity, as to the closeness of NFL games. That surely is true. The fans want to see a more dominant team on offense. I expect that to be part of the team’s developmental process. I love the fact that the defense is playing top-notch football. The offense must take some pressure off of the defense. That’s what’s up next.
.
David Bell — ArrowheadOne
.