NFL journeyman Chase Daniel believes the recent criticism directed toward Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes is unfounded. On “The Facility,” the former quarterback highlighted how Mahomes’ performances have been better since the arrival of future Pro Football Hall of Fame receiver DeAndre Hopkins.
Citing elite statistics in completions, passing touchdowns, third-down conversion percentage, and red-zone touchdown percentage, Daniels made the bold and somewhat unpopular claim that Mahomes was indeed playing as one of the premier quarterbacks in the league.
Is Patrick Mahomes Having a Good Season?
Despite Daniel’s claims, there is no doubting that fact that Mahomes is having a poor season by his standards. From a purely statistical perspective, the three-time Super Bowl champion ranks in the middle of the league in numerous key positional areas.
Stop saying Patrick Mahomes is not playing well….its just not true.
The last 4 weeks, he’s played some of the best ball in NFL.
▪️2nd in Completions
▪️5th Pass TD’s
▪️2nd 3rd Down %
▪️6th RZ TD % pic.twitter.com/oJfZjFaI1F— Chase Daniel (@ChaseDaniel) November 21, 2024
Mahomes currently ranks 12th in passing yards, 10th in passing touchdowns, and is tied with Green Bay Packers QB Jordan Love for the league lead in interceptions thrown with 11. In Pro Football Network’s QB rankings, Mahomes is still top 10 this season with a B grade.
“Mahomes, at 10th in these rankings, is likely to draw the most ire of fans just because of how good he is at playing the position. However, when you watch him and compare him to two years ago or more, there is little denying that there is less ‘wow’ in his game.
“Mahomes is still an efficient quarterback converting on third down, but his nYPA ranks 22nd (6.6), while his play from a clean pocket is outside the top 10 in the league this year. The receivers around him are a big part of that. Travis Kelce has lost a step, and his WR1 is DeAndre Hopkins, who is well past his prime. He remains excellent in most clutch situations but has lapses earlier in games that have impacted his numbers.”
However, despite Mahomes’ individual performance struggles, the team as a whole has enjoyed an amazing start to the season. The Chiefs hold a 9-1 record, something that sees them tied with only the Buffalo Bills and the Detroit Lions for the most wins in the league through 11 weeks.
How Will the Chiefs Fair for the Remainder of the Season?
While there is no disputing Mahomes’ pedestrian statistical campaign, Daniel is objectively accurate in stating that the two-time NFL Most Valuable Player has been looking more like his past self in recent weeks. As was the case last season, there were aspects to the Chiefs game that were not fully cohesive until the regular season came to an end. However, when the playoffs arrived and the Chiefs, and Mahomes, needed to step up, they did.
Mahomes has 5,134 passing yards and 41 touchdown passes through 18 career playoff games and holds a 15-3 record in that span. As a result, despite the early season struggles, it feels as though it is just a matter of time before NFL fans see a classic Mahomes performance, one that officially silences all of the noise surrounding his play this year.
In addition, according to Pro Football Network’s NFL Playoff Predictor, the Chiefs are projected to finish with the most regular season wins (14.1) and currently hold the fourth-best odds (7.4%) of hoisting their third Super Bowl in as many seasons.