Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs enter the 2025 season with plenty of motivation after Kansas City's 2024 campaign ended with a blowout to the Eagles in the Super Bowl. Overall it was a bit of an odd season for the Chiefs, who won nine straight games to kick off the year but never came across quite as dangerous as they have in the past, especially offensively; Mahomes seemed to dink and dunk more than he ever had and big plays were hard to come by.
The superstar quarterback promises that will change this year, though. Speaking to ESPN during training camp Mahomes was asked about the offense's struggles to push the ball down the field. He declared that aspect of the team "abnormal" and plans to enact change in 2025.
"Last year was abnormal," Mahomes told Chiefs reporter Nate Taylor. "We definitely want to push the ball down the field and push the ball into tighter windows this year."
Through the lens of Mahomes's career stats it was definitely abnormal. The MVP quarterback averaged only 6.8 yards gained per passing attempt, which was by far the lowest mark of his eight years in the NFL. He also averaged career lows in yards per game (245.5), yards per completion (10.0), and adjusted net yards per passing attempt (6.02). Even a stat as simple as his longest pass of the season, 54 yards, was his lowest since his rookie season. Injuries and the age of Travis Kelce whittled down Mahomes's big play options to the point where he was in check-down mode for much of the year and into the playoffs.
Obviously that worked well enough to get to the Super Bowl, but proved a fatal flaw against a Philadelphia defense that teed off on the Chiefs' offensive line without any downfield threats to worry about. Mahomes seems aware and set on fixing it in 2025.
Deep passes are back on the menu in Kansas City.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Patrick Mahomes Promises Change in Part of Chiefs Offense That Was 'Abnormal' in 2024.
