Mahomes remains master of the big play
Steve Carp
Host · Writer
LAS VEGAS — We’ve seen it so many times over the years that we shouldn’t be shocked when it happens.
It couple be in the playoffs. It could be in the Super Bowl. It can happen in Week 4 of the NFL regular season. But sure as the sun rising in the East, it’s gonna happen.
At some point, Patrick Mahomes is going to find a way to beat you.
The Las Vegas Raiders knew that going into the battle of undefeated teams in the AFC West. And for the better part of three quarters, they managed to keep Mahomes in check. They spied him with linebacker Quay Walker so he couldn’t take off on one of his patented gallops that always keeps a drive alive. They kept him in the pocket and harassed him enough, sacking him twice. He failed to gain a single yard running with the football.
But throwing the football? That’s a different story.
Mahomes threw for 225 yards and two touchdowns in helping keep the Kansas City Chiefs undefeated at 4-0 with Sunday’s 30-27 win over the Raiders at Allegiant Stadium. They Raiders thought they had contained him enough until they didn’t.
Two plays stand out. The first was in the first quarter when on 3rd-and-10, Mahomes rolled to his left and connect ted with Xavier Worthy for 41 yards to set up a 2-yard TD pass to Tyquan Thornton which tied the game 7-7.
The other big play was in the fourth quarter. After two run plays produced just five yards, Mahomes went up top to Thornton on 3rd-and-5 for what was a 55-yard hookup. Unfortunately for the Chiefs, Thornton injured his ankle on the play and had to be carted off. But Kenneth Walker, who killed the Raiders, ran it in from five yards out to put Kansas City back in front 23-19.
“It’s about staying with the game plan and being patient,” Mahomes said of why he’s able to hit on the big play so often. “You can’t create it. You’ve got to stay with it and wait for the right moment.”
Chiefs coach Andy Reid has seen it so many times he’s probably lost count. But for him, it’s all about trusting his quarterback.
“I don’t expect him to do that,” Reid said when asked about Mahomes’ ability to make big plays. “But I do trust him when the football is in his hands.”
Mahomes, who turned 31 last month, retains that special awareness that the great ones possess. He got hit plenty by the Raiders Sunday and a lesser quarterback might’ve panicked or simply unraveled.
But nothing fazes Mahomes. He continues to play at an exceptionally high level, along with his teammates. The Chiefs remain one of the NFL’s elite teams because they’re well run, well coached and have great players. They’re what the Raiders are aspiring to be and perhaps one day the Silver and Black will replace Kansas City as the top team in the AFC West.
Not yet, however. There were too many mistakes Sunday for that to happen. Like dropping three guys into punt coverage and giving Matt Araiza a lane to run for a first down. Like not tackling Walker, who ran for 177 yards and a pair of TDs. Like not protecting the football on the kickoff with Dareke Young coughing it up after the Chiefs took the lead and having it lead to Walker scoring on the next play. Like taking points off the board in the third quarter when the Chiefs committed a penalty and Clint Kubiak eschewed the Matt Gay field goal that was kicked to go for it on 4th-and-2, coming up short in the process.
And when you lose a game by three points, that’s a big thing.
And while Reid was quick to praise the Raiders’ effort and Mahomes said how much he enjoys playing at Allegiant Stadium where he’s never lost in seven appearances, the fact is the Raiders still have work to do despite being 3-1. There’s still things that need cleaning up, particularly on the punt and kickoff teams.
For the Raiders, there are plenty of teachable moments. All is certainly not lost. It’s one game out of 17 and the season is only at the quarter pole. A lot of football remains to be played and there’ll be an opportunity to get even with Mahomes and the Chiefs when these teams meet again at the end of the regular season come the second week in January. Who knows what things will look like by then?
But if No. 15 is on the field at Arrowhead that day, the Raiders better be ready. As they learned Sunday, trying to contain Mahomes is a 60-minute task.
