This stat proves just how unlucky Patrick Mahomes has been with interceptions this season
In 2020, Patrick Mahomes was lauded for his touchdowns. In 2021, Mahomes has been under fire for his turnovers. Specifically, he's been called out on his interception totals that have led the league at times this season. While Mahomes has been willing to take the blame, it is not completely his fault. According to Next-Gen Stats, Mahomes has simply been unlucky on half of his 11 interceptions in 2021.
Why are the football gods frowning on Patrick Mahomes?
According to a tweet posted by Next Gen Stats, Patrick Mahomes has thrown six interceptions this season on passes that have had at least a 75 percent chance of being completed. That's double the number of any other quarterback in the NFL. The number is also greater than in any other season of Mahomes' career. He's only thrown two such interceptions in his career before 2021.
Patrick Mahomes throws his sixth interception this season that had above a 75% chance of being completed (twice as many as any other QB).
Mahomes had thrown just two INTs on such passes in his first three seasons as a starter combined.
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Put simply, his receivers are letting him down. Those interceptions are the result of dropped passes ending up in the clutches of the defensive secondary. One such interception off a dropped pass happened over the weekend against the Dallas Cowboys. kelce" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">Travis Kelce dropped a ball that hit him center mass when it bounced off his hands and into the hands of the defender.
Chiefs’ Travis Kelce passes Gronk on NFL’s list of all-time tight end receiving yards kansascity.com/sports/spt-col…
For Kelce, the dropped pass gets recorded deep in the stat book as a drop. But Mahomes suffers a mark in one of the most crucial stats in the game. Put simply, Mahomes takes the blame for something Kelce did. Kelce was used in this example, but he's not the only offender. Other receivers have also been guilty of drops.
Of course, to avoid this, quarterbacks can throw the ball around thigh height to keep drops from turning into interceptions. This is especially encouraged when throwing over the middle. For someone as good as Mahomes, an adjustment like this should be doable.
However, Mahomes is playing in the NFL with a suspect offensive line. He can't babysit the ball on every single play. On plays when he can't throw a perfectly placed ball, it is up to the receiver to catch the pass cleanly. That said, in these situations, the quarterback could throw a better pass but the receiver could do a better job catching the ball.
Both the quarterback and the receiver can play the blame game, but one of them needs to be the bigger man and simply do what's best for the team. Pointing fingers doesn't move the team forward. To fix this, Mahomes should be throwing the ball lower, especially on passes over the middle. Meanwhile, the receivers should be ironing out their drops before the game starts.
It is easier said than done, but moving in that direction cooperatively is better than pointing fingers separately.
Also Read: Who are Patrick Mahomes’ Parents?