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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Sport
Oliver Connolly

Patrick Mahomes is having the worst season of his career. Does it matter?

Patrick Mahomes is far from his vintage self but the Chiefs are still 6-0
Patrick Mahomes is far from his vintage self but the Chiefs are still 6-0. Photograph: Charlie Riedel/AP

Seven weeks into their bid for immortality, the Kansas City Chiefs are undefeated. They’ve ripped off wins against the likes of the Ravens, 49ers and Bengals on their way to a 6-0 start. On defense they’ve been elite, putting a succession of the game’s best quarterbacks through the blender. The back-to-back champs should have the feel of a runaway juggernaut, but something is amiss with KC’s offense.

Given his body of work, Patrick Mahomes is the best quarterback in the NFL. That isn’t an opinion, it’s a statement of fact. But through the opening stages of the season, the Chiefs have fielded a middling offense and Mahomes has been a statistically middling quarterback. The Chiefs’ offense has yet to score 30 points in a game, despite facing only one defense in the top 12 in EPA/play, a measure of a unit’s down-to-down effectiveness.

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