NFL analyst calls out Patrick Mahomes’ teammate "who’s been absolutely atrocious"
Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs pulled off another victory on Saturday, winning 27-19 over the Houston Texans. The Chiefs are 14-1 and inched closer to the No. 1 overall seed.
On Monday, Dan Orlovsky talked about the Chiefs offense, specifically the offensive line on ESPN's "Get Up." Orlovsky said that it still has issues that could prevent the team from having a third straight Super Bowl run.
He spoke about the shuffle of offensive linemen to try and shake things up. Orlovsky called out Wanya Morris who had been playing left tackle until his move to right tackle in Week 16. The former NFL quarterback called Morris' efforts at left tackle "atrocious."
"The third straight Super Bowl, can it happen with the bad offensive line they took Joe Thuney last week, who was their All-Pro guard, and moved them out to left tackle that Caliendo playing left guard this week?" Orlovsky said (07:39). "And then one game, Morris, who was the guy who has been playing left tackle some who's been absolutely atrocious that left tackle he went and played right tackle well pretty darn good.
"And so now if you're the Chiefs, you go maybe we've stumbled into this is our starting five Houston didn't get a single sack. Mind you, this was a team that was top two in sacks going into this game. They didn't get a single sack after the first quarter. Patrick (Mahomes) dropped back 35 times in that period. So I just think the way that this offensive line is trending has me thinking, all right, this might be the solution to their problem so far offensively this season."
While Orlovsky wasn't pleased with Morris' efforts at left tackle, he said that the move to the right side was good for him and that he played well. Morris was moved to right tackle after Jawaan Taylor left during the second half of Saturday's game with a knee injury.
NFL Insider said Patrick Mahomes plays best when he's 'banged up'
Patrick Mahomes suffered an ankle injury in Week 15 that had many questioning his availability moving forward. The Kansas City Chiefs have already clinched the AFC West but are in the hunt to secure the top seed and securing home field advantage throughout the playoffs, something they didn't have in 2023.
Mahomes and the Chiefs have just four days to prepare for a Christmas Day matchup against the Steelers. On Monday, ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter said on "The Pat McAfee Show" that he believes the three-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback plays better when he's dealing with an injury.
"Patrick Mahomes seems to play some of his best football when he's banged up," Schefter said.
Schefter went on to say that his ankle injury requires him to stay in the pocket and not scramble, which allows better playmaking. He added that other times Mahomes has dealt with ankle injuries, he also played well.
Mahomes and his offense will have a tough battle on Wednesday when they face the Steelers' defense led by T.J. Watt.