The Kansas City Chiefs will be using their bye week to figure out how to become a more consistent football team.
After starting 0-2, the Chiefs have won five out of their last seven games, but as things stand, they are third in the division and not even in the playoffs if they were to begin today.
Given we are at the halfway mark (roughly) of the season, we kind of know what the Chiefs are right now and know that they are still a contender, but they aren't as buttoned up as we have become accustomed to.
And for CBS Sports' Cody Benjamin, in detailing one thing he's learned about Kansas City so far, it centers around No. 15.
"Patrick Mahomes is pressing," Benjamin wrote. "It was very apparent to open the year, before Rashee Rice's return out wide, when No. 15 leaned almost exclusively on desperate scrambles to keep Andy Reid's attack moving. Mahomes has still been solid as a whole, but he's also still battling protection uncertainties, leading to some unwise deep shots."
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Mahomes having good season
Before the loss to the Buffalo Bills, some had Mahomes as the MVP favorite and the Chiefs as the Super Bowl favorite due to their blistering three-week stretch that saw both sides of the ball play at an elite level.
But the Bills' loss brought the Chiefs back down to earth, and Mahomes, who has thrown for 2,349 yards, 17 touchdowns, and just five interceptions, is now "pressing."
Granted, some deep shots have been ill-advised, and at other times, he's connected, most notably with Tyquan Thornton. Still, that is what you get with Mahomes. He extends plays, sometimes makes incredible throws, and other times gets himself into trouble. But that's part of doing business with the best quarterback in football.
Still, at 5-4, the margin for error is shrinking, and the Chiefs can't afford Mahomes to be the gunslinger he once was, because a loss here or there could be detrimental to Kansas City's playoff hopes.
More Chiefs news:
- Patrick Mahomes has incredible response to potential Bills playoff matchup
- 'No more chances' for Chiefs after Bills loss
- Chiefs face 'uphill battle' after crushing Bills loss
- Is Travis Kelce injured? Chiefs TE a no-show in first half vs. Bills