Currently 4-0 after winning three of the last five Super Bowl crowns, Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid now finds himself in the curious position of fixing some issues with quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
“I’m just here to be a teacher, I try to help you as much as I can,” Reid told FS1’s Colin Cowherd.
Although he sounds like a losing coach talking about a struggling young quarterback, Reid is actually talking about a three-time Super Bowl MVP who has completed nearly 70 percent of his passes for the year.
However, it is undeniable that Mahomes has looked shaky through his first four games. He has thrown more interceptions (five) than all but two quarterbacks and his current passer rating of 89.7 would mark a career low dating back to his 2017 rookie season.
As Reid explained, his job is to ensure Mahomes remains his usual confident self: “What I want to tell him is keep shooting. You’re the best in the business, keep shooting. We’ll keep working on the little things as we go.”
Andy Reid’s message to Patrick Mahomes: ‘You’re the best in the business, keep shooting’
Mahomes and Reid talk during the second half of Sunday’s win over the Chargers in Los Angeles.
Fortunately, Reid explained, Mahomes is still brimming with confidence and extremely coachable.
“First of all, no one wants to be coached more than they want to be coached, and no one knows better than they do when they make a mistake,” Reid said. “He doesn’t want to throw interceptions, so maybe there’s something there he can look at next time.”
“He wants to do well, he’s that kind of guy,” Reid continued, with a nod to Mahomes’ father, a former Minnesota Twins reliever. ‘Always in the building and that kind of treatment. He grew up in a locker room, so he’s always present. The whole ego thing isn’t included, he just wants to know the whys, where the kids are and how he can make things better.’
Of course, that’s been difficult with tight end Travis Kelce’s slow start and significant injuries to receivers Rashee Rice and Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown, both of whom could be out for the regular season.
Rice, who injured his knee in a collision with Mahomes, will need to undergo further testing to determine the extent of his injury.
The good news for Kansas City is the development of first-round pick Xavier Worthy, who now has nine receptions for two touchdowns and 154 yards on 15 targets.