Chiefs coaches discuss Patrick Mahomes’ growth during the 2023 season

After the Kansas City Chiefs clinched their eighth consecutive AFC West title with a 25-17 defeat of the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 17, quarterback Patrick Mahomes was surprisingly candid about this yr’s crew.

Following the sport, the face of the league discussed a concerted effort to play clever, complementary soccer to permit Kansas Metropolis’s top-tier protection to place them in place to win video games.

Earlier than Thursday’s observe, Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy and quarterbacks coach David Girardi spoke of the expansion they’ve seen in Mahomes’ mindset, even in an often-frustrating season for the crew’s offense.

“The way in which defenses are taking part in him,” Girardi noticed, “it’s so much completely different than what it was in 2018, 2019. and 2020. So, he’s needed to adapt just a little bit. It’s been a progress factor from him even in prior years, however persevering with this yr simply to see him proceed to adapt and take what groups are giving him.”

Nagy noticed his quarterback’s adaptability throughout Sunday’s win in opposition to the Bengals in an offensive efficiency that, whereas underwhelming, had many fewer errors than most of Kansas Metropolis’s current video games.

“There’s a couple of performs the place it wasn’t there,” Nagy recalled, “and [Mahomes] took off and ran. Or if there’s a play that’s there — and he feels quick within the pocket — now it’s don’t take a foul sack, a protection sack. Throw the ball away.

“He had two [where] they introduced two nickel pressures to the sphere in a bunch set, and he’s play-actioning and turning round, and there’s two guys in his face instantly. Having the ability to get the ball off and never take an eight-to-ten-yard sack, that’s a smart move. Third-and-10 plus within the crimson zone — one of many hardest performs in soccer — ensuring you don’t throw into protection and make a play that takes factors away: a turnover.

“That was a sport the place we chipped away. We chipped away with three factors, clearly, with six discipline targets. He understood that, and I believe that that is one thing that’s a advantage of his progress…Once you see that type of stuff, that’s superior. You adore it as a coach. You adore it as a participant.”

Early in Mahomes’ profession, he appeared a menace to throw an extended landing cross at any second. A mix of defenses adjusting to the star quarterback and Kansas Metropolis’s present personnel have restricted the variety of massive performs out there this season. Girardi appreciates how Mahomes has discovered to just accept the need of check-down choices.

Picture by Ryan Kang/Getty Pictures

“That’s a continuing dialog now we have,” the coach said. “We’ve acquired to see how defenses are taking part in. It’s a week-to-week foundation. Additionally, [recognize] the development of the yr like what’s type of taking place. It’s a fixed dialog that we’ve simply acquired to be environment friendly with the ball. If the deep shot’s not there, take the test down. It’s been a gradual dialog that we’ve had all year long.”

Each coaches preserve that, for the perfect quarterback in soccer, crew success issues most, even when this yr’s Kansas Metropolis protection is the aspect of the ball delivering wins.

“For Pat, it’s all about he simply needs to win,” Nagy reaffirmed, “and he’s sensible sufficient to know that yearly’s completely different. With that comes the flexibility to adapt. Whether or not it’s individuals, whether or not it’s conditions, no matter it’s: yearly is just a little completely different.

“Your identification’s just a little bit completely different, not simply as an offense however as a crew and the way you win…We’ve got an distinctive protection that’s protecting groups out of the top zone and doing actually good issues, so let’s play complementary soccer. We’re so used to the 40 or 45 factors at will on a regular basis — and that’s the aim — however we even have to know all through the course of a season how we’re going to win.”

Girardi agreed with Mahomes’ mindset.

“On the finish of the day,” he defined, “Pat’s aggressive, and he needs to win. We’ve had success. We’ve had the chance to win the West. From his standpoint, that’s all he needs to do: he simply needs to win. No matter how that’s performed — whether or not it’s throwing for lots, whether or not we’ve acquired handy the ball off, no matter it could be — on the finish of the day, he needs to win, and we’ve been in a position to do this.”

Towards the Bengals, Mahomes linked with rookie huge receiver Rashee Rice for a 67-yard completion, teasing the big-play capability of the Chiefs’ offense. Nagy hopes the second is usually a constructing block to overcoming a few of the offense’s season-long bouts of inefficiency.

“It was an ideal ball,” he said, “[and] it was an ideal catch in stride. When you’ve these — whether or not it’s as a play caller, whether or not it’s as a crew, no matter it’s — it’s a breather…Now you get an enormous play; now you wish to be simpler within the crimson zone. Having 4 performs in that sport over 35 video games was good as a begin. We all know now we have that in us. We simply have to do this extra constantly.”

Whereas this season has not gone as hoped on his aspect of the ball, Nagy acknowledges that the Chiefs can put issues to mattress by performing within the playoffs.

“We by no means wish to change our aim of scoring numerous factors,” he declared, “whether or not it’s being nice on third down or nice within the crimson zone or defending the soccer… Nevertheless, it goes on, we simply wish to play complementary soccer, and we all know that going into the playoffs that it doesn’t matter the way you win. When you win, everyone will likely be comfortable.”