"Need to stop hurting myself" - Patrick Mahomes analyzes his performances through first 6 games of 2021 NFL season
For Patrick Mahomes, the 2021 NFL season has been a trying one. The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback has thrown eight interceptions in just six games. That's more than the six he threw in 2020 and the five he threw in 2019.
The Chiefs have a 3-3 record and are hoping Mahomes can recover from his setbacks. Patrick Mahomes seems to have the right attitude towards his play.
He spoke with the media about his turnover struggles and gave insight into how he's handling them.
The top 5 NFL interception leaders include 3 rookies, Patrick Mahomes and Sam Darnold. https://t.co/jpAU9Rfseu
Patrick Mahomes: "I need to stop hurting myself."
When asked about his interceptions, Patrick Mahomes said,
“I think as an offense, especially for me [I need to] just to stop hurting myself.” Just stay within the reads, stay true to the reads and when it broke down, got out of the pocket and tried to make plays happen. Pretty much just staying true to who I am and not try to do too much and kind of relied on the other guys to make plays and they did.”
Mahomes admits he's the one who needs to stop hurting himself on plays. Since entering the league, Mahomes has been a special talent who has made some of the most absurd plays you'll ever see. Sometimes that desire for a big play can be to his detriment.
This season, defenses have changed their approach to defending Mahomes. They have safety help in coverage on Tyreek Hill on every play. This forces Mahomes to slowly work the ball downfield and rely more on shorter completions.
Patrick Mahomes has also tried to force big plays because the Chiefs feel the need to score 30 points a game to win. The defense was last in the NFL in points per game allowed before last week.
Patrick Mahomes is keeping a level head and sticking to his routine
When asked if the turnovers had phased him, the 2018 league MVP said,
“I mean it doesn’t really bother me that much,” Mahomes explained casually. “As long as you’re winning football games, the other stuff doesn’t matter, good or bad. I just kind of have that mindset of I’m going to do my routine, stay within my routine, focus on winning football games and after that the rest kind of handles itself.”
By all accounts, it sounds like Mahomes has the right attitude. The 26-year-old has never had struggles like this in his career. But he's staying with the routine and mindset that's earned him his place in NFL history already.
.@JeffDarlington disagrees with @BartScott57 after he said the league is catching up with Patrick Mahomes.
"As soon as he cuts down the interceptions, we will be right back to rightfully praising Patrick Mahomes as the greatest quarterback on planet earth." https://t.co/uJq9qjeIS3
Mahomes is still the most talented quarterback in the NFL today. He's in his first-ever slump, one of many he could experience throughout the rest of his career. But Mahomes has the right attitude and talent as we've never seen before.
Andy Reid is also one of the best offensive minds in football as head coach. The slump won't last, and the Chiefs will bounce back.