5 NFL players who perfectly complement Patrick Mahomes
Quite a few observers were busy penning an obituary for Patrick Mahomes when he struggled at the beginning of the season. His throwing was inaccurate, leading to many interceptions, and he struggled to lead the team downfield.
Also read: Patrick Mahomes is back in the NFL MVP conversation and his slow start has been forgotten
But after seven straight wins, Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs sit at the top of the AFC as the first seed. Mahomes has also made it to his fourth straight Pro Bowl, and everything seems sunny in Kansas City.
But to avoid the situation that befell them at the beginning of the season, we look at five players in the NFL who perfectly complement Patrick Mahomes. Two such players are already with Mahomes in Kansas City, and their recent connections have been one of the reasons the Chiefs have seen an upswing in fortunes.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes, wide receiver Tyreek Hill, tight end Travis Kelce, left tackle Orlando Brown, safety Tyrann Mathieu and defensive tackle Chris Jones all made this year's Pro Bowl roster.
The team will hopefully be sending none of them to play in the game. 😉 https://t.co/q28lIjtjYj
But we also look at other players around the league, especially tight ends and receivers who are stuck in mediocre teams and would get a new lease of life playing with Patrick Mahomes. In turn, they would give Patrick Mahomes more options to win as well.
Players already playing with Patrick Mahomes
#1 - Tyreek Hill, WR
Tyreek Hill is a phenomenal player with and without Patrick Mahomes. But the quarterback's presence makes him a different beast altogether.
When we compare the stats, Tyreek Hill has played 17 games as a wide receiver without Patrick Mahomes and 55 games with him. In terms of yards per game, there is not much difference, with 82.3 yards per game being his average without Patrick Mahomes and 83.2 yards per game with him. It is in terms of scoring output that we see the difference.
Patrick Mahomes. Tyreek Hill. TOUCHDOWN 🔥
#ChiefsKingdom
https://t.co/F0Rr0LkBL9
With Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill has 42 touchdowns in 55 games, averaging roughly three touchdowns in every four games. That goes down to less than half when he is playing without Patrick Mahomes, having scored only eight receiving touchdowns in 17 games.
The same applies to Patrick Mahomes as well. Without Tyreek Hill, his passer rating is 103.1, but with him it is 105.7. His touchdown percentage drops to 4.1 percent without Tyreek Hill. With Hill, Mahomes' touchdown percentage is 6.7 percent. It clearly shows how they both complement each other.
#2 - Travis Kelce, TE
Much like Tyreek Hill, we can see a stark difference in Travis Kelce's stats when Patrick Mahomes is not playing. Without Mahomes, Travis Kelce has played 17 games, averaging 68.4 yards per game. With Patrick Mahomes, the average goes up to 83.4 yards per game (calculated across 59 games played).
Without Patrick Mahomes, Kelce has scored nine touchdowns, and in Mahomes' presence, Kelce has 32.
"You'd think 'he's old, he can't run by people,' but he was running by people."
@PatrickMahomes on @tkelce's game-winning TD 😂 https://t.co/eiSZaTVgx1
This applies the other way round as well. Patrick Mahomes played one game without Travis Kelce, had a measly 76.4 passer rating and did not throw for a single touchdown but had one interception. With Travis Kelce playing with him, Patrick Mahomes has a passer rating of 106.0 and a touchdown percentage of 6.5 percent.