Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is expected to make his comeback to action in Week 1 of the NFL season after undergoing surgery to repair a torn ACL, which ended his season last year. Mahomes is key to any Chiefs revival next season after coach Andy Reid’s team finished the season with a woeful 6-11 record.
Former GM Doubts Patrick Mahomes’ Chiefs Playoff Capacity
During an appearance on Friday’s segment of the “Get Up” show, former New York Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum predicted that Mahomes’ Chiefs have too many question marks to make the playoffs next season.
“The Kansas City Chiefs will miss the playoffs for a few reasons, starting at quarterback, [there’s] some uncertainty about whether Patrick Mahomes will be ready to go from day one,” Tannenbaum said. “Secondly, they lack explosiveness at receiver. Last year, they were No. 16 in the league in yards per pass attempt.
“Some questions about Rashee Rice, will he be ready to go? Thirdly, at corner, they lost two great corners in Jaylen Watson and Trent McDuffie. They did draft Mansoor Delane, re-signed L’Jarius Sneed, but for a great Kansas City Chiefs team, unusual to have three important question marks.”
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Last year, the Chiefs had one of their worst campaigns in the Reid era, posting their first losing season since 2012. They also failed to win the AFC West for the first time since 2015, showing the cracks in the dynasty’s previously imperious record.
For the first time in his career, since he was selected No. 10 overall in the 2017 NFL Draft by the Chiefs, Mahomes was absent in the postseason.
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On the same show, ESPN’s Dan Graziano detailed his belief that Mahomes can lift a sub-par roster into a championship-contending one, should he regain his pre-injury form.
“The question, of course, becomes, is he his old self?” Graziano said. “Does he need some time to be the player that he has always been when he’s been healthy? That’s a player that can take an average or above average roster and make it a championship roster. So that’s what they’re going to need because I think they’ve improved the defense.
“But the offense, you know, is pretty much what they had last year. And you mentioned Rashee Rice had another procedure this offseason, had to spend 30 days in jail. That’s not ideal in terms of getting ready for the season. So they need Mahomes to be Capital M, Mahomes as soon as possible.”
In a down season for the three-time Super Bowl MVP, Mahomes tallied 3,587 passing yards on 62.7% completion, 22 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions, earning a PFSN QB Impact score of 77.0, ranking him at No. 17 in the league.
