Patrick Mahomes Is On The Worst Losing Streak Of His Nfl Career. Here's Why.

When nan 4th fourth betwixt nan Kansas City Chiefs and nan Philadelphia Eagles began connected Sunday evening, nan trappings were successful spot for different Chiefs miracle.

In 2024, successful nan regular play and playoffs, Patrick Mahomes led Kansas City connected 8 game-winning drives, six of which capped disconnected a fourth-quarter comeback.

On Sunday, nan Chiefs were successful nan reddish area trailing nan Eagles by only 3 points erstwhile nan last framework began. But 4 plays into nan quarter, a Mahomes walk was dropped by Travis Kelce adjacent nan endzone and intercepted by Philadelphia’s Andrew Mukuba, stalling immoderate hopes of different magical finish.

The Eagles scored a touchdown connected their pursuing drive, and nan 10-point shortage proved to beryllium excessively overmuch for Kansas City to overcome. The Chiefs fell to 0-2 successful a 20-17 loss.

Kansas City’s 0-2 commencement is nan team’s first since 2014, which intends it’s besides nan first 0-2 commencement of Mahomes’s career. Dating backmost to the Super Bowl successful February, Mahomes has now mislaid 3 consecutive games for nan first clip successful his profession — and nan building of nan Chiefs’ roster seems to beryllium nan astir evident culprit.

Patrick Mahomes connected Sunday arsenic nan Chiefs fell to 0-2.Jamie Squire / Getty Images

In 2022, Kansas City averaged 29.2 points per game, nan champion successful nan NFL. In nan past 2 seasons, however, nan Chiefs person averaged 22.6 and 21.8 points per game, 15th-best successful nan convention successful some 2023 and 2024, respectively.

Over that time, Kansas City has importantly reduced its finance successful its accomplishment positions, while shelling retired money for less-than-stellar play elsewhere.

The Chiefs are spending a small nether $17 cardinal connected their receiver room this season, per Over The Cap, nan sixth-lowest fig successful nan league. They’re spending $6.4 cardinal connected their moving backs, which is besides nan sixth-lowest mark.

Meanwhile, Kansas City is spending large money astatine tight extremity ($27.6 million, first successful nan NFL) and violative statement ($72.2 million, 2nd successful nan NFL), but nan returns from those groups person been inconsistent astatine best.

Travis Kelce connected Sunday successful Kansas City.Jamie Squire / Getty Images

Kelce is nan third-highest-paid tight extremity successful nan convention this season, per Spotrac, but his accumulation has been lacking since nan commencement of past year.

In 2024, Kelce vanished pinch nan fewest yards, yards per reception and touchdown totals of his career.

Kelce vanished nan crippled pinch 4 catches for 61 yards. He didn’t speak to reporters aft nan loss, though his teammates deflected immoderate of nan blasted for his cardinal mistake.

“We sewage nan defense that we wanted. I threw it conscionable a tad excessively early,” Mahomes said of his fourth-quarter interception.

He added: “If I tin put it much connected his assemblage and not truthful acold retired successful front, past [Kelce] tin drawback it and return nan deed and get successful nan extremity zone.”

“I’ll return afloat work for that game,” caput coach Andy Reid said. “I astir apt stayed excessively aggressive. That’s my responsibility. It’s important against that unit that you enactment aggressive. I could’ve astir apt dialed up immoderate different things there. Against them, you’ve sewage to do that.”

The violative line, meanwhile, hasn’t afloat gelled aft a makeover pursuing nan Super Bowl blowout astatine nan hands of nan Eagles.

Mahomes has been sacked doubly successful each of nan first 2 games, and nan moving crippled has been stagnant extracurricular of backmost scrambles. Mahomes is nan team’s starring rusher done 2 games, while each nan moving backs mixed haven’t surgery 100 yards.

It’s not for illustration nan Chiefs haven’t tried to build astir Mahomes. They still person 1 of nan astir costly violative rosters successful nan NFL. And they’ve invested draught superior connected that broadside of nan ball, utilizing their first rounder connected discourtesy successful each of nan past 2 seasons. (It’s besides worthy noting that receiver Rashee Rice missed astir of past twelvemonth and is suspended done Week 6 of this season.)

But yet Kansas City’s awesome investments haven’t paid dividends. The margins for occurrence person go very thin. And nan consequence is, moreover pinch 1 of nan champion quarterbacks of each clip — a feline who erstwhile threw 50 touchdowns successful a azygous play — a middling discourtesy that’s over-reliant connected Mahomes and averaging 19 points per crippled done 2 weeks.

Even if that so-so discourtesy pinch a sprinkle of Mahomes magic has been bully capable for 2 Super Bowl appearances and a title nan past 2 seasons, this year, it’s caused nan Chiefs their worst commencement successful complete a decade.

“This isn’t really we wanted to start,” Mahomes said Sunday. “But really are we going to respond? I’m excited for nan adjacent fewer weeks to spot who wants to beryllium challenged and really we tin get backmost and really get aft it.

He added: “I cognize it sucks to perceive for nan fans, but I consciousness for illustration we’re close. All we tin do is proceed to work.”