Chiefs rookie Patrick Mahomes showed us everything we needed to know Sunday…
The young quarterback threw for just under 300 yards. More importantly, when he had third and long andwas in trouble with the pass rush, he threw downfield and hit his targets.
Near the end of the game head coach Andy Reid took Mahomes out to take a brief look at 3rd string quarterback Tyler Bray. What could go wrong, right? After all, we had a two touchdown lead. Then our little used fullback fumbled the first handoff and suddenly the Broncos were just one score back with five minutes left and they then drove the field to score again.
So with just over 2 minutes left, Reid put in the very confident Mahomes to save the day and the game. With the score tied 24 all, he drove deep, hit big 3rd down throws and put the Chiefs in easy field goal range for the game winning kick with no time left on the clock.
Chiefs WIN!
Now you can say, hey it was only lowly Denver and the game meant nothing but pride for the Broncos. Well, they still had the top defense in the AFC and the league; they played their starters all the way; and the Chiefs played 2nd and 3rd stringers all the way with Mahomes.
On top of which it was very cold, Mahome’s first regular season start and he not only won but shined.
OK, yes, Mahomes had one INT, but otherwise he was outstanding.
SO YES, MAHOMES HAS THE IT FACTOR.
You can see it on his face as he makes others around play better on both sides of the ball.
For example, the star of the offense, Albert Wilson, with ten grabs for just under 150 yards, WHAT? No Travis Kelce, Tyreek Hill or Kareem Hunt ( except for one 35 yard TD carry to win the rushing title).
Otherwise Mahomes had NO real weapons to lean on.
Jon Gruden, Bill Maas and myself, have compared him to John Elway.
This IS the dude who can take KC to the Super Bowl soon -maybe next year.
Or perhaps just after.
Think of Mahomes with Hill, Kelce, Hunt and others next year! Wow!
With perhaps a better defense as well. Yikes!
He will not be as safe a quarterback as Alex Smith but he will be electric and make the big plays at game’s end like Aaron Rogers, Tom Brady and other elite quarterbacks.
That’s what I see.
That’s why experts like me wanted him in eight weeks ago when we stunk…to try and help bring this team back. Smith did that to his credit. Now the debate is do you bring a career year 35 year old back one more year or go with the rookie?
If you don’t trade Smith this off season and he leaves after next year we get nothing for him. Do we give Smith a new three year contract and keep Mahomes on the bench?
Why?
He’s ready, he’s the future.
I say get all we can for Smith and begin our new future with Mahomes.
What if Smith takes us to the Super Bowl? Well, let’s wait and see. That’s a tall order…
Anything is possible. The bottom line is, I think we are in good hands with Pat Mahomes.
He’s the real deal.
CG, I love your passion. But, can we pump the brakes a little on Mahomes? Does he have the tools? Oh, hell yes. I’m just not going to do something as foolish as compare him to John Elway. Elway is one of the greatest QB’s in history. I can’t stand the guy, but I recognize him as one of the elite of the elites. It’s just silly to even throw that out there after ONE game against a team that quit weeks ago.
Now, on to your main point. Yes, Mahomes should be the starter next year and Alex needs to be cut loose. I am a gigantic Alex Smith fan. What that guy has brought to the Chiefs is unbelievable. The guy has owned the AFC West and done nothing but win games. Total class act, too. But, Mahomes is the future. Period.
Go Chiefs!
Gotta agree with Jim here. Winning a throwaway game isn’t the time to start comparing him to Elway in any way, shape, or form. The only thing they really have in common right now is that they both played quarterback in the NFL. Give NFL defensive coordinators some time and game film to analyze on him and THEN we’ll see where he’s at. But he’s certainly the direction the Chiefs need to go in.
Mahomes looked great, he’ll have some growing pains next year but as long as he’s not super reckless like Carson Wentz or DeShaun Watson he should make Chiefs fans super excited about our future.
As for Alex Smith, KC management can easily trade him to the Cards, Jets, or Skins or some other team in need for a check-down QB!
E.H. good points…I as have stated think its time to move on from Alex…of course if he takes Chiefs to the super bowl, then they will have to look at it closer…just signing a 35 year old qb to a 3 year deal with Pat sitting there makes little sense…Alex has value now…and now is the time for the trade…
Nod Sally Field ‘you like me – you really, really like me!’ Reading holiday sentiments expressed re: yours truly other articles KCC in my absence, now fulfill those author’s most fervent hopes: ‘take a number’, MacArthur – “I KEROUAC HAVE RETURNED!”
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Vacationing almost a month (left aft the swiss season ended with their loss to NYJ), was in a remote area outside the US, one of the few places still sans internet or tv so was unable to watch football or keep up with KCC. Upon checking results my return, appears nothing has changed: everything is still ‘not’ up to date in KC; ‘wait till next year’, part 48, verse 2018 right on schedule.
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As for the local ‘slant’ re: the most recent game and ‘great overhype’ ‘Pine’ Mahomes, reality as Kerouac same dissents:
Myth #1: ‘Pine’ had a great game. Fact: He was saved by the KC defense (which in and of itself is pretty funny, considering how bad they are. This case, KC merely played an DEN offense was even more lame.) A mediocre performance by the biggest BUST the 2017 Draft Mahomes, at a cost 3 draft choices 2 #1’s + a #3… for that performance?
Lynch won the mano y mano battle with an 87.3 QB rating, 21 of 31 254, 2 td passes, 68 completion % and 8.2 yards per attempt. ‘Pine’ 76.4, 22 of 35 with 0 td passes, 63 completion % and 8.1 yards per attempt. Lynch 13 yards on 3 rushes, ‘Pine’ 10 yards on 7. Each QB was victim a fumble; Lynch threw 2 ints, ‘Pine’ 1 (latter had two more wild passes thrown up for grabs, portending future results will not escape via luck as good fortune found him instead Sunday, DEN.)
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Myth #2: ‘Yeah but, DEN was playing all their starters!’ Were they? Nope, neither on defense nor offense, same as swiss. DEN was short 3 starters on defense, augmented were already out of post season & they were playing with their 3rd string QB, Lynch.
Scoreboard? A team ‘wins’ games and ‘loses’ them. Mano y mano, advantage Lynch – the subjective ‘yeah buts’ of locals does not change fact. In a game in which neither team or QB especially impressed, Patrick ‘Pine’ Mahomes was outplayed by Paxton ‘The Pistol’ Lynch. Upshot: Faint praise or to put it another – ‘two losers, no waiting.’
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Conclusion: swiss fandom best hope QB Smith does ‘not’ leave KC – ‘Pine’ affirmed Sunday he isn’t ready for prime time. 2018 his ‘training wheels’ apprenticeship, no Deshaun ‘The Man With The Golden Gun’ Watson he, another ‘wait till next year’.
A Smith trade, KC won’t be able to get anything more than a mid-round #2 pick and perhaps a lower round pick (#4?) thrown in at best… at worst, they’ll get nothing for him/have to release him: all the other teams know the swiss are between a rock and hard place. I say KC extends/reworks Smith’s contract, or lets him play out his final
season here, after which he becomes a free agent.
Stay tuned 2018 as Kerouac once more is proven correct… He knows you will.
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Cue the Goofy laugh: ‘uh huh, uh huh, uh huh’, and some Looney Tunes too ‘Wah wah wah wahhhhhhhhhhh… TEN 22 @swiss 21
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Told ya so.
TITANS OWN the swiss: now 0-3 vs TEN in their last 3 games – all played in KC; also 0-6 post season their last six & 2-7 all-time post season games played in KC – A NEW NFL RECORD.
suckulent swiss stars on parade:
* ‘P*ssy’ Peters being what he is – who we knew he was – 15 yard unsportsmanlike
penalty for a cheap shot punch thrown at a TEN player
* kelce the Klown doing what he does best… disappearing; how’s that over-sized, swollen head of yours, Klown?
* albert ‘frontrunner’ wilson: got any more of those hot dog ‘push push push’ hand jives aimed at the crowd left in your underdeveloped cocuneut?
* k unt (the h is silent): the 3rd place rusher NFL 2017, who finished behind champion Todd Gurley and 2nd best finisher LeVeon Bell (both of whom put self interest behind ‘team’ interests) – 14 touches for a weak sauce 47 yards… yeah, the H is silent, as usual.
* Captain Checkdown: 50/50 whether he returns, is released or is traded by the swiss; if KC wanta to win in 2018, Alex returns… if not, and management values ‘trying save face’ a BUST drafted #1 this year, and economic$ building a ‘team’ requires, ‘Pine’ will place his hands under center in 2018, and the swiss will finish in the cellar of the AFC West, by virtue having the worst QB situation in the division.
Much more post mortem, future outlook and game review to follow, aft CG/rest of the ‘dupes’ render their tear-stained not so objective apologetics… Kerouac will leave the lights on for those folks.
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