KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- In many ways, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes made sizable improvements in his performance in September. Leading the Chiefs to a 3-0 record ahead of Sunday's matchup against the undefeated Las Vegas Raiders (4:25 p.m. ET, CBS), Mahomes has shown quality progress with his footwork, has been surgical when throwing play-action passes, and has been effective throwing the ball from outside of the pocket.
Not bad for a quarterback who returned to the field nine months after having surgery to repair the torn ACL and LCL in his left knee.
And yet, Mahomes' best trait this season has been throwing deep passes.
In fact, this season Mahomes has completed eight of 14 attempts in which the ball traveled at least 15 yards for 231 yards -- all of which have been recorded in the past two games.
"We'll have to continue to do that," Mahomes said Wednesday. "Obviously, we want to run the football, but if defenses are going to come up and try to stop the run, we have to be able to hit it over the top."
The Chiefs have been able to generate a large number of their deep completions through play-action passes, which has helped demonstrate the impact of running back Kenneth Walker III, who has produced 442 scrimmage yards. One of the best aspects for Mahomes is that he has been able to create highlights on deep throws with three different teammates -- tight end Travis Kelce and receivers Tyquan Thornton and Rashee Rice.
"With the play-action game, it's kind of opened up more things and made throws easier, more one-on-one type throws, so I give guys chances to make plays," Mahomes said. "We've had a lot of young receivers come in. I've gotten more and more reps with those guys, and it's hard to replicate reps under pressure in the game.
"I've gotten more and more comfortable throwing it to where they like to catch the football and then they go out there and just make the plays."
Mahomes struggled much of last season to connect with his pass catchers on deep passes. He completed only 42 of his 101 attempts in which the ball traveled at least 15 yards. His 41.6% completion percentage ranked 19th in the league. Mahomes also threw more interceptions (five) than he had touchdowns (two) on such throws.
The Chiefs' deep-passing attack should be tested in Sunday's game against the Raiders, who have created a league-high nine takeaways, including four interceptions.
If Mahomes wants to again have success downfield, the Chiefs will need to effectively block Raiders' pass rushers Maxx Crosby, Malcolm Koonce and Kwity Paye. The trio has collected a combined six sacks.
"He's one of the best competitors in the league," Mahomes said Wednesday of Crosby. That's where the respect comes from. We kind of have that mutual [desire] to be the best on the field when we're out there. It brings out the best in you."
In last week's win over the Miami Dolphins, Mahomes was hit a season-high five times. Undrafted rookie right tackle Kahlil Benson, who is starting at left tackle in place of Josh Simmons, who is recovering from a bulging disc, has struggled at times in pass protection the past two weeks on traditional drop-back passes.
"Pat's doing a nice job with it," coach Andy Reid said Wednesday of Mahomes' accuracy when getting hit. "You have to be able to perform with pressure. He does it as well as anybody. He's got a knack for it -- and still keeping himself upright. If you can't handle pressure as a quarterback in this league, you're probably not going to be doing very well."
A positive trend the Chiefs hope will continue is the reliability of Rice, who finished with seven receptions for 88 receiving yards on nine targets against the Dolphins.
In May, Rice underwent surgery to clean up debris in his right knee, which had been causing inflammation. Potentially complicating things, he did his rehab while serving a 30-day jail sentence for violating the terms of his probation, which stemmed from his role in a car crash two years ago that left multiple people injured. At the start of the Chiefs' training camp, Rice looked rusty when running routes. But against the Dolphins and Indianapolis Colts, Rice was able to get open in the middle of the field for gains of 34 and 31 yards, respectively -- plays in which he was able to sprint away from defenders to gain plenty of yards after the catch.
"I feel a lot different," Rice said Sunday of his right knee. "I feel a lot more confident and I continue to strengthen my legs, knowing these legs are going to get me through the whole season. Even if the play is not being called for me, I know I have a possibility of getting the ball."
Similar to last season, Mahomes' best deep threat is Thornton, who made two pivotal deep catches in the Chiefs' overtime win over the Colts in Week 2.
"We work at it when we're tired, when it's hot and long days," Thornton said last week of his connection with Mahomes. "We've been going at it for a little minute, so I feel like we're just going to continue and get better.
"Growing up in Miami, we love to catch the deep ball. We just grow up tracking the ball, making the hard catches over the top, left shoulder [and] right shoulder. It's kind of routine."
For the Chiefs' deep-passing attack to become complete later this season, Reid and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy must find ways for receiver Xavier Worthy, the fastest of the Chiefs' pass catchers, to get open downfield.
Worthy, who ran a record-breaking 4.21-second 40-yard dash at the 2024 NFL combine, has yet to have a highlight downfield with Mahomes. Despite having 15 targets, Worthy has produced just 10 receptions for 36 yards, ranking last in the league yards per reception among receivers who have recorded 10 or more receptions.
"I think you just continue to work it," Mahomes said last week of his chemistry with Worthy. "He's making the right reads down the field. It's not like he's not doing his job the right way. It's just about going out there and finishing [the play] whenever he gets the opportunity."
