KANSAS Town, Mo. — Shortly immediately after quarterback Patrick Mahomes discovered out he was not heading to engage in in previous Sunday’s normal-period finale, he headed to the Kansas City Chiefs’ observe facility to attract up some plays he prepared to share with his coaches. His would-be two-7 days break from football had barely lasted a couple of hrs.
It was portion of Mahomes’ strategy to remain sharp. He and several of the Kansas City regulars didn’t participate in in 7 days 17 with the Chiefs getting now clinched the AFC’s No. 1 playoff seed. As the leading seed, the Chiefs get the AFC’s playoff bye this weekend.
Mahomes was on the Arrowhead Stadium area a couple of several hours prior to Sunday’s 38-21 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, throwing to receivers Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce, who equally would sit out the match.
“You have to remain on prime of points like that,” Mahomes claimed. “An additional factor that I did that drove the coaches nuts is that I drew up like 25 plays. I was just in there drawing up plays without end and ideally I can get a number of of them in and we can get a couple touchdowns in the postseason.”
Staying sharp all through an extended break just isn’t a terrible idea, but the thought of him not playing properly just after missing a pair of weeks is the least of the Chiefs’ fears. Final yr, soon after lacking two video games at midseason due to the fact of a knee injuries, Mahomes returned to toss three landing passes and for a year-high 446 yards in opposition to the Tennessee Titans.
The Chiefs will head into the playoffs either Jan. 16 or Jan. 17 applying a team of players whose past video game action together was 7 days 16 versus the Atlanta Falcons. To Mahomes, at least, the rewards outweigh the hazards. The Chiefs had been taken to the finish in each individual of their 7 game titles prior to the a person versus the Chargers, successful all 7 but none by a lot more than six factors.
“We experienced some battles there at the conclude of the season, and video games like the Saints and the Bucs and even the Falcons, they have been bodily football video games,” Mahomes reported. “For us to be ready to get again nutritious, get most people back again to 100 %, I imagine we are going to be able to use our velocity and our energy as we get into the playoffs and genuinely have the best Kansas Metropolis Chiefs soccer workforce that you’ve noticed considering the fact that the starting of the calendar year.
“It truly is enormous. Acquiring the two months, you can variety of mentally choose off that to start with 7 days. … We continue to observe. It really is not like a regular bye in the time when you might be type of getting times off and not executing nearly anything. We are nevertheless practising and even training quite quickly, quicker possibly than standard. Physically, we will be wonderful. It is really possessing that mental split that will truly rejuvenate all people, hold most people all set to go, all set to be at operate every single one day and be the very best probable player they can be for the crew.”
The Chiefs, with an NFL-greatest 14-2 history, are underneath pressure to repeat as Tremendous Bowl champions. They had been 4- from other playoff teams, the only team to be undefeated in the standard time in opposition to the relaxation of the subject.
“If you viewed us during the season, it feels like we normally raised up and played much better in the big online games,” Mahomes said. “I never know if which is a fantastic or a bad matter. Being aware of that the future a few are likely to be big online games, I know I’m going to get the finest hard work out of every solitary male on this workforce and we’re heading to raise our recreation to be even far better. I’m psyched for it for the reason that I know what this group can do. It can be a particular operate.”
A lot of the strain falls on Mahomes. But he has performed perfectly in the postseason. He has 13 landing passes, two interceptions, a 106.6 passer score and 4 victories in 5 playoff online games.
“For a young person, he handles [expectations] very nicely,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid reported. “He manages it, he stays concentrated on the football, he usually takes it property with him and studies. He’s usually in the movie area studying. All of those points haven’t altered.
“He appears to be concentrated in on points and it does not appear to be stressing him out too considerably.”
Mahomes is a prospect for MVP once again soon after owning received the award in 2018, his 1st total year as a starter. He concluded 2nd in the league in passing yards (4,740) immediately after having the lead into the season’s last activity and was fourth in landing passes (38).
“It’s some thing you would like to have but not some thing that’s necessarily some thing you strive for,” Mahomes stated of the passing yards title. “To me, it truly is about winning soccer games. I always think that if you acquire football online games and participate in the recreation the appropriate way, that things handles alone. I would obviously love to have it, adore to have that trophy, but if it won’t happen and we discover a way to win the Tremendous Bowl, I’ll be correctly good with it, I assure you.”
