Stephen A. Smith calls Patrick Mahomes’ offense “embarrassing” after Monday Night Football collapse
Patrick Mahomes' rematch against Jalen Hurts was one of the most hyped games of the Week 11 slate. However, the showdown paled in comparison to their Super Bowl contest. Both sides struggled to move the ball throughout the game, but the Chiefs received the brunt of the punishment from Stephen A. Smith.
Speaking on Tuesday's edition of First Take, the show host lashed out at Mahomes' offense with the strongest rhetoric. He also lumped in Chiefs GM Brett Veach. Here's how he put it:
"[00:03:35] To have your receivers now dropping 26 passes on the season, five last night. It's gotten to a point where it's embarrassing. But I'm not going to just point to the offense. I'm also going to point to the organization. You might have wanted to pay Tyreek Hill that money after all. [00:03:53]"
Patrick Mahomes drops losses against most likely would-be Super Bowl opponents
In order to win the Super Bowl, Mahomes is going to need to beat the best that the NFC has to offer. In most years, that would be one of the top two seeds in the NFC. Patrick Mahomes has already lost to both.
They opened the year with a Week 1 loss to the Detroit Lions who are now 8-2 and own the second seed. They also now have a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on their resume.
The Eagles own the first seed. Of course, seedings are subject to change but as of right now, Mahomes would be looking to even the series should he get back to the Big Game.
With the loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, Mahomes became the first quarterback since, at least, 1997 to lose to a Super Bowl opponent one season after defeating them in the big game.
Who do the Chiefs play the rest of the year?
The good news for Chiefs fans is that their schedule lightens up considerably with the rematch now done. Travis Kelce's Chiefs face just one team currently over .500 for the rest of the season.
Meaning, there's a chance that the team goes undefeated and finishes with a 14-3 record, blending their 2023 regular season in with the rest of the Mahomes era.
The Chiefs are set to play the Aidan O'Connell-led Raiders twice; and Packers, Bills, Patriots, Bengals and Chargers.
However, the scary proposition is that if Patrick Mahomes struggles even a little over the remaining schedule, it risks forcing him to go on the road for the first time in his career. If that happens, any outcome is possible, even a first-round bounce.
Of course, that's still quite a while away and a number of outcomes can result from the current standings.
Could 2023 be the start of a change in the wind in the mid-west?
If any of the above quotes are used, credit First Take and H/T Sportskeeda.