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Fans think Patrick Mahomes is no longer a threat and has been "figured out"
In his first real action of the NFL preseason, Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes had an average outing against the Arizona Cardinals starters. He went 10-of-18 for 78 yards and an INT. The Chiefs still won 17-10, but Twitter exploded with NFL fans slamming Patrick Mahomes for being "figured out by the NFL" and no longer a threat to the NFL as he's been in the past.
ESPN Radio's Mike Golic Jr. got the ball rolling with his tweet:
It was a bit of fun and jokes from the sports world after seeing Patrick Mahomes is in fact human on the gridiron and had a down-to-earth performance...in the NFL preseason...without all of his starters...and a new-look OL. His completion percentage and total yardage would have been better if it wasn't for WR Mecole Hardman. Patrick Mahomes targeted him often in the first half, but Hardman and him weren't on the same page for several plays and Hardman had several drops. His OL played well with the starting lineup of new faces, but this is only their second preseason game together and the Arizona Cardinals aren't a push-over defense either. Arizona has starters like Chandler Jones, Zaven Collins and Isaiah Simmons and J.J. Watt didn't even play in this game.
Patrick Mahomes' INT happened while he was on the run and was a tip-toe catch by CB Byron Murphy Jr, a great play by the defender rather than a poor play by Patrick Mahomes. It's the NFL preseason and players are expected to make errors and take risks in order to see what works and doesn't work and to find their limits on the field.
Fans should blame WR Mecole Hardman and RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire over Patrick Mahomes. He's been playing at an elite level since his first NFL start and hasn't come down since then, so his first unflattering performance was going to get attention for sure, but fans really pounded on him with jokes and memes.
It's all fun and games and KC fans should not worry the slightest. Patrick Mahomes will be fine this year and will be a top-5 QB. His OL and run game could cause some headaches, but he'll be in the MVP race late in the season. Attention should be on hyping Arizona's defense for being able to cause so much pressure on Patrick Mahomes and forcing him to make those errors.
Also Read: What is J.J Watt's Contract Breakdown?
