‘Take it to the bank’ – Kansas City Chiefs make good on Patrick Mahomes promise to break free of slump

Patrick Mahomes is making good on his Kansas City Chiefs promise, and Andy Reid is doing his part.

The Chiefs wrapped up their preseason preparations with a third defeat from their three games – losing 29-27 to the Chicago Bears, but there was plenty to please Reid.

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The Chiefs quarterback started the game, and rattled off almost a full quarterer action in his final outing before the Chiefs begin the season in Brazil against AFC West rivals Los Angeles Chargers.

Mahomes completed eight of his 13 passes for 143 yards and a touchdown pass to delight the fans in attendance at Arrowhead Stadium.

“I was super excited to get out there, especially at Arrowhead and get real reps,” the two-time MVP said.

“We talk about getting here and stuff like that, but to get a feel for the pocket, trust the guys, have a chance to make plays down field — it shows all the hard work that we put in training camp has paid off.

“This is a little step but it’s a step in the right direction. We’ll continue to build as we get ready for the regular season.”

On top of his outing, the eye-catching stat that is delighting Chiefs fans is Mahomes average of 11 yards per throw – that included a 58-yard connection with the man who could help him make good on an offseason promise.

Who will be the Chiefs receivers?

Tyquan Thornton was waived by New England in November last year but has impressed in training camp and when given the chance in preseason.

His catch gave Mahomes and Chiefs fans plenty to cheer, while NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger was quick to take to social media to offer his opinion.

“The Chiefs offense is going to attack deep this season…Take it to the neighborhood bank. #Chiefskingdom

Thornton will hope to make a roster and deliver on the promise that prompted former Patriots head coach Bill Belichick to trade up to spend the 50th overall pick on him out of Baylor in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Despite reaching the Super Bowl for a third successive season, the Chiefs were well beaten by a dominant Philadelphia Eagles in New Orleans as their hopes of a third successive Lombardi evaporated in the Superdome.

It came at the end of a season when the Chiefs offense struggled to move the ball, with Travis Kelce enduring a season to forget and Rashee Rice and Hollywood Brown lost to injury.

More specifically there was a lack of downfield threat that led to a career down year for Mahomes whose 3,928 air yards was the lowest of his seven years as a starter.

Earlier this summer Mahomes opened up on an average of 6.8 yards gained per passing attempt made, alongside a career low of 26 TD passes thrown.

“Last year was abnormal,” Mahomes told the Chiefs official reporter Nate Taylor.

“We definitely want to push the ball down the field and push the ball into tighter windows this year.”

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What are Patrick Mahomes stats?

In 2023, Mahomes threw for just 27 touchdowns, giving him 53 across the last two season, a far cry from the 50 in threw in the 2018 season, and the 41 in 2022.

His yards per game and yards per completion were also the worst of his career.

Ahead of Tuesday’s deadline for the 53-man roster, Andy Reid and general manager Brett Veach have been finetuning Mahomes options.

Former second round pick Skyy Moore has been traded away to the San Francisco 49ers, and former New England Patriots second round pick Thornton has seized his own chance to impress.

With a fit again Rice facing a possible suspension, and Brown also back from injury, the downfield options for Mahomes are improving.

Last year’s first round pick Xavier Worthy got better the longer the 2024 season went on, and this year’s fourth round pick Jalen Royals has flashed throughout training camp.

The Chiefs are retooling, much to their fans and – even more importantly – Mahomes’ delight.

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