Mahomes, Chiefs braced for tough Jaguars test
>> LOS ANGELES: In the eyes of one pundit, Patrick Mahomes possesses the cool of Joe Montana, the arm of Brett Favre, the touch of Tom Brady and the confidence of Aaron Rodgers.
But the young Kansas City Chiefs quarterback, who has electrified the opening weeks of the NFL season, insists he is still a long way from the finished article.
The 23-year-old has made a dazzling and flawless start to his first full season as a starter, completing 90 of 138 passes for 1,200 yards with 14 touchdowns and no interceptions.
On Monday, Mahomes led the Chiefs on a late, game-winning drive which secured victory over the Denver Broncos and preserved the team’s 100 percent start to the season.
It was the sort of performance that had the quarterback’s growing legion of admirers reaching for the superlatives once more, and ensured no let-up in the hyperbole surrounding the player nicknamed “Showtime Mahomes”.
Tomorrow, however, the hype-train carrying Mahomes and the free-scoring Chiefs face their biggest obstacle of the season when they come up against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Jaguars (3-1) have the best defence in the league, giving up an average of 14 points per game and recording 10 sacks to date.
“They do a lot of things really well and they kind of do the same stuff but they do it to a very high [level],” Mahomes said.
“They have a ton of talent over there. We’ve got to utilise our weapons and our offence and do what we can to attack them.”
Mahomes says he is unfazed by the accolades that have been showered on him in the opening month of the season, insisting he is still learning his craft.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid is similarly unconcerned by the possibility of Mahomes starting to believe his own publicity, emphasising the quarterback’s work ethic and singleminded approach.
“The one thing is that he is in the building here all the time,” Reid said this week. “He is going through the process. He exhausts that thing. When you do that the right way, and whatever noise outside of it — you are not oblivious to it — but you’re not worried about all that. He has just kept great focus on that part. I wouldn’t expect anything different from him, it’s just how he’s wired.”