The Kansas City Chiefs have been able to breathe easy knowing they have Patrick Mahomes while everyone else does not. However, Mahomes’ play has led to even more scrutiny than the three-time Super Bowl champion has previously faced.

This time, it is not whether or not Mahomes is overrated. Instead, the question has become about whether or not Mahomes has taken steps back as a quarterback.

The short answer might be, “Yes.”

Key Skill for Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes ‘Alarmingly Deteriorated’

Patrick Mahomes’ Fundamentals an Underlying Issue for Chiefs

The Athletic’s Jeff Howe shared an “NFL QB stock report,” and Mahomes ranked third behind reigning MVP and Buffalo Bills star Josh Allen and Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals.

However, it is a take about Mahomes from an anonymous coach that stands out.

“If you’re trying to teach footwork to a quarterback, you don’t turn on his tape because it’s such a backyard style,” the coach said, per Howe of September 2. “He’s so talented that he gets away with it, but last year his feet were the worst they’d been in years, and it was hurting him. Before that, it didn’t matter; he could throw from anywhere. I have a feeling he’ll have a better year this year.”

Howe noted a split in Mahomes’ production, comparing the QB’s first five seasons as the Chiefs’ starter (5,155 passing yards, 41.3 touchdowns and 10.3 interceptions with a 106.0 passer rating on average, prorated over 17 games) to the last two (a 4,309-28.2-13.3 line).

The Chiefs’ offense averaged 30.1 points per game during the first stretch and are down to 22.2 PPG in 2023 and 2024, per Howe.

Howe noted Mahomes has reached Super Bowls playing this way and with a revolving cast.

He also noted that Mahomes fell in the poll of coaches and executives, finishing third in the predicted MVP race voting. Mahomes again finished behind Allen and Burrow in the speculative polling. But, “No one believed Mahomes’ skills were declining.”

“They just believe he’s been managing with too many unknowns around him, while his peers have caught up,” Howe wrote.

Chiefs Predicted Downfall May Be Premature

Many prognosticators have projected the Denver Broncos as a potential competitor to the Chiefs for the AFC West crown. That argument ignores the Los Angeles Chargers, who actually finished second, ahead of the third-place Broncos and fourth-place Las Vegas Raiders, in 2024.

Those sentiments are amplified by the Chiefs’ shaking up their offensive line.

Two inexperienced players, rookie first-round draft pick Josh Simmons at left tackle and second-year second-round pick Kingsley Suamataia, will protect Mahomes’ blindside.

Issues with protection are a reasonable explanation for the decline in Mahomes’ footwork. The Chiefs’ faith in Simmons and Suamataia, then, could be put to the test early. That would leave Mahomes to adjust on the fly, i.e., do whatever he can to make plays, once again. He will also be without Rashee Rice for the first six games amid the wide receiver’s suspension.

That puts even more responsibility on Mahomes, a six-time Pro Bowler, who could need to be near-flawless to overcome in 2025.