The Chiefs, who enter Sunday as rare home underdogs against Buffalo (their opponent in last year’s Divisional Round epic at Arrowhead Stadium), have been an offensive juggernaut this season, averaging a league-high 31.8 points per game. Given the offseason they had, losing star receiver Tyreek Hill to the Dolphins, the Chiefs’ blistering early pace has been a surprise, with many expecting Kansas City to take a step back this year.
Regression seemed inevitable without Hill, but instead, the Chiefs look as dominant as they ever have, with much of the credit going to Patrick Mahomes, who leads the league in touchdown passes (15) while trailing only Geno Smith in quarterback rating (110.5). That’s no accident, says Jay Glazer, asserting that Hill’s departure was necessary for his development, helping him become a smarter, more complete passer.
“I think Mahomes is better without Tyreek Hill because it’s forcing him to be patient now and spread the ball out and kind of go underneath,” the popular Fox Sports reporter said during a recent guest appearance on The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz. “In the past, he would have been like, ‘Let me run around. I’m just going to throw it down the field and Tyreek can bail us out.’”
While the Chiefs’ offense used to be a three-man operation, Mahomes has seamlessly incorporated new parts, spreading the wealth by completing passes to nine different receivers (Travis Kelce, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Mecole Hardman, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Jerick McKinnon, Skyy Moore, Justin Watson and Noah Gray) in Monday night’s win over Vegas. Sad as they were to see him go, Glazer argues Hill leaving may benefit Mahomes in the long run, sharpening his skill set by making him see the whole field.
“This is my 30th year in the NFL. I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Glazer of Mahomes’ improvement this year, taking his game to new heights in spite of losing the most explosive talent he’s ever played with. “It’s forcing him to improve because now he doesn’t have that safety valve. It’s forcing him to learn more patience. It’s forcing him to spread the ball out to places maybe he wouldn’t [normally] spread it to. So, as a quarterback, he’s improving, which is pretty f---ing scary for the rest of the league.”
That’s high praise from a measured evaluator who avoids hyperbole whenever he can help it. Of course, it’s hard not to get excited about the way Mahomes is playing right now, with Sunday’s matchup against the rival Bills presenting another opportunity to grow his legend.
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