Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes thinks there’s only one thing his wideouts need to work on in order to lessen their drops. What is it, you ask? Confidence.
Mahomes said as much on Sunday when asked about the constant issue that has plagued the Chiefs this 2023 season. For those who has been watching the Kansas City franchise all season long, there has been a number of times that Mahomes threw a great pass only for his wide receivers to drop the ball.
One such incident occurred once again in Week 15 on Sunday in the Chiefs’ win against the New England Patriots. Early in the fourth quarter, Mahomes found Kadarius Toney wide open in the middle for what should have been an easy first down. Instead, however, Toney failed to grip the ball and tipped it instead, allowing Patriots linebacker Jahlani Tavai to intercept it.
The Patriots were able to score two plays later, cutting the Chiefs’ lead to just 10. While Kansas City eventually held on for the 27-17 victory, it was certainly quite the dangerous mistake considering how much time was left on the clock.
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Drops have been such a critical issue for the Chiefs, which is why fans are growing more and more frustrated whenever Mahomes and the Chiefs have to deal with it.
Patrick Mahomes, for his part, admitted that it’s impossible to totally eliminate drops. Mistakes happen, and sometimes, it’s just the receiver’s fault. Nonetheless, the superstar quarterback didn’t hide the fact that his wideouts seem to be lacking in confidence.
Mahomes emphasized that the Kansas City Chiefs’ wide receivers are all capable in catching the ball, so for him, it’s all a matter of mindset and self belief.
“I mean, they’re gonna do it all. They’re gonna catch balls from me, they’re gonna catch balls from the other quarterbacks, they’re gonna be on the JUGS [machine] after every practice or before every practice,” Mahomes explained, via NBC Sports.
“I think it’s all confidence. I think that those guys can catch the football. I’ve seen some of those guys make the best catches I think I’ve ever seen. So I think it’s just going out there playing confident, being them, and if they do that, that stuff will kind of help itself.”
Patrick Mahomes is one of the most accurate quarterbacks in the NFL today, and his receivers are certainly lucky to have him throwing the ball to them. But at the end of the day, those passes from Mahomes would be useless if his teammates cannot catch them.
It has yet to be seen how his teammates will respond to the challenge, though it’ll be interesting to see how the Chiefs’ wide receiving corps perform in the final three games of the season.
Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs Looking To Close Out Season in Style
The final three games of the regular season should be a good test for Patrick Mahomes and his Kansas City Chiefs wide receivers.
The Chiefs will be facing off against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 16, followed by a showdown with the Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Chargers in Weeks 17 and 18. Both the Raiders and Chargers are still in the bubble for a playoff spot, while the Bengals are in a good spot to make the postseason.
With that being said, all three teams will be motivated to play against the Chiefs and could look to take advantage of the periodic drops they commit in order to compete and win.
If the Chiefs aren’t careful, it could definitely get troublesome for them. And with the postseason right around the corner, they wouldn’t want their receiving issues to persist.
