Mahomes’ mind matters
Rookie’s football IQ impressive
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — To listen to Patrick Mahomes talk about the sixth game of his first season as the Chiefs starting quarterback is to get the impression that the stink of defeat is as putrid and powerful now as then.
You also get the feeling he remembers every play of the 43-40 loss to the Patriots at Gillette Stadium.
“When you play teams of this caliber, you play teams with this much history of knowing how to win and capitalizing on people’s mistakes, I mean, you can’t come back and win games like that,” Mahomes said before yesterday’s practice.
Dont’a Hightower and Duron Harmon intercepted Mahomes in a first half that ended with the Patriots leading, 24-9. The QB played much better in the second half (four touchdown passes, no picks) of what his seventh career start (his first coming in the finale of the 2017 regular season).
Sunday will be the 19th start for Mahomes, 23. Tom Brady, 41, is in his 19th season.
Nobody has a stronger arm than the quick-afoot Mahomes, but his premature greatness starts at the top, in his agile mind.
“Certain guys have great vision, can see on the field,” coach Andy Reid said. “It’s one thing knowing it. It’s another thing seeing it on the field and executing it. He’s got good vision. That’s what these top quarterbacks can do. They see things other guys can’t. Patrick, he’s been blessed with the vision and then he’s very intelligent.”
So intelligent that a reporter who regularly covers the Chiefs and isn’t given to hyperbole asked Reid if he thought Mahomes, who spent his rookie season holding the clipboard for Alex Smith, might have a photographic memory.
“Alex was as smart a guy as I’ve coached in my career and we didn’t take a ton of steps back on that,” Reid said, then corrected himself. “We didn’t step back really at all. And I’m sure he’ll keep growing. I think that says something about the kid. He’s extremely proud. He works extremely hard, and he’s blessed with a good mind.”
Reid spoke to another area aside from memory as one of the things that sets Mahomes apart.
“I think if you ask any quarterback in this league where each guy was (on a given play) they’d be able to tell you,” Reid said. “They can handle that. And then it’s another thing doing it when things are flying around you fast and someone’s trying to tackle you.”
Under fire, Mahomes is as calm as he is elusive.
Plus, leadership comes easily to him.
“Great quarterbacks, they have the ability, and he’s young right now, but he has that ability to influence and make people around him better,” Reid said. “When he’s with his teammates, he brings a certain energy with him. And this is not something he’s trying to do. This is him. You fake it and the guys read right through it.”
A Patriots defense known for its many disguises awaits the QB who in the regular season threw for 50 touchdowns and 5,097 yards and was intercepted 12 times.
“They come out with unscouted looks they haven’t shown in weeks, maybe years, and they try to throw it on you and surprise you,” Mahomes said. “That’s something they’re really good at. Not every team can do that.”
Mahomes said that the Patriots and Ravens stood out as teams that “threw out unscouted looks pretty much the entire game.”
He voiced confidence he’s more ready for that now.
“It’s crazy how much you learn from every single game that you play,” Mahomes said. “Now I’ve seen so many different looks from so many different teams that even if you’re not necessarily game-planning that week for that look you can always file that in your memory bank and you can pull back from that.”
He added: “If I get an unscouted look I can kind of say, ‘I know this team did it to me in Week 8’, where early in the season I couldn’t do that.”