Mahomes looks like K.C. keeper
A 17-degree chill bit at Patrick Mahomes’ right hand Sunday. His left hand was warmed by a white glove thick enough to be an oven mitt. Together they held the future of the Broncos, in a roundabout way.
The Kansas City Chiefs’ rookie quarterback from Texas Tech made his NFL debut at Sports Authority Field at Mile High in a kind of tryout that, in ways both direct and incidental, could affect the Broncos for years to come.
Mahomes’ first pro start — a mixed bag of muscled throws and poor decisions — signaled the Chiefs might be ready to move forward with the quarterback they selected 10th overall in the 2017 draft. The Broncos also forced their young quarterback into a tryout — Memphis product Paxton Lynch, the 26th pick in 2016, was playing for next season.
“With it being a quarterback issue going into the offseason, we want to see him play to see where this player is,” Broncos coach Vance Joseph said last week. He meant Lynch — but Mahomes’ start mattered just as much.
Kansas City won the AFC West title this season behind veteran quarterback Alex Smith. He will be the Chiefs’ starter next weekend when they face Tennessee to open the playoffs. But they posted a 27-24 victory over the Broncos on Sunday behind Mahomes.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid, knowing his team could finish no better or worse than the fourth seed in the AFC playoff field, decided to let Mahomes sling it around. Smith watched wearing a heavy parka on the sidelines. The Broncos watched both of them closely.
“Patrick had complete command out there,” Reid said. “He’s so fortunate to have been in that (quarterback) room with Alex Smith, to know how to go about doing your job at this level. He spent the time (last) week knowing he was going to be the guy.”
If Kansas City believes Mahomes is ready to take over as the starter next season, it could leave the Chiefs looking to unload Smith and the $17 million he’s owed in the final year of his contract, according to Spotrac. If the Chiefs cut Smith, they would take a salary cap hit of just $3.6 million. If they keep him, they would be docked for $20.6 million.
If the Broncos were to sign Smith, it could give them time to develop younger options. With Denver needing a quarterback, it’s not out of the question the winds could blow Smith west toward Denver. The three young quarterbacks who started for the Broncos this season — Lynch, Trevor Siemian and Brock Osweiler — have not distinguished themselves.
“We have to fix and rectify that position,” Joseph said.
What the Broncos need is a young quarterback to build around, and possibly a veteran to bridge the time it takes to develop someone. The Chiefs think they have found their young prospect in Mahomes, whom they traded up to draft last spring. The former Texas Tech star is the son of former big-league pitcher Pat Mahomes. He was one of the top prospects in baseball coming out of high school in Texas before deciding on a football future.
“For a young quarterback coming up, he’s going about it the right way,” Reid said. “He’s not banking on his skill that he was blessed with. He’s trying to make himself the best. It pays off in situations like this.”
Mahomes possesses the skill to carry Kansas City, with some reason for pause. His first career completion was a 51-yard touch pass to Demetrius Harris on a seam route against tight coverage. It set up the Chiefs for a 7-0 lead Sunday. On the Chiefs’ next possession, though, he threw an ugly pass on a hook route that Broncos safety Darian Stewart intercepted.
In the second quarter, as the Broncos “threw the house at him with blitzes,” Reid said, linebacker Von Miller wrapped up Mahomes deep in Kansas City territory. But Mahomes flung a a 17-yard pass under pressure for a first down.
“In the beginning, I was too amped up,” Mahomes said. “But I settled in.”
In the end, Mahomes (22of-35 passing, 284 yards, one interception) outplayed Lynch (21-of-31, 254 yards, two TDs, two interceptions). Mahomes will almost certainly face the Broncos in an AFC West rivalry again soon and perhaps for years to come.
The Broncos might be left with the leftovers. Smith seems there for the taking during the offseason.