The offensive line was terrible, taking five penalties and yielding a pressure rate of 42.2 percent (eighth highest of the week). Mahomes still threw for a 114.2 passer rating under that pressure, fourth best of the week. Down the field, the receiving corps gave Mahomes few options on many dropbacks due to a lack of separation, and they failed to haul in well-placed throws in contested situations.



The Indianapolis game is the leader in this category, but there are other strong candidates. In Weeks 11-12, Mahomes threw for 5.7 and 6.0 yards per attempt against the Chargers and Raiders, respectively, the two worst marks of his career. However, I graded him at 63.3 and 74.1 in those games.



Despite the lackluster statistical production, Mahomes’ unproductive plays were rarely his fault over that two-game stretch. The screen game faltered, limiting his yardage. On several plays, Mahomes had nowhere to go with the ball, either because of a lack of separation or a poor play call. Drops were a common issue against Oakland, including two by Kelce and one by Hill.

Many of Mahomes’ best plays over this stretch resulted in limited yardage after the catch, capping his numbers and masking how well he actually performed. He commonly made some big-time intermediate completions under heavy duress, turning should-be sacks or throwaways into short first-down completions. Always keep in mind how much a box score can lie, especially in the sample size of a single game.



MOST OVERRATED GAME BY BOX SCORE: Week 1 at Jaguars



Mahomes’ best 2019 passer rating was in Week 1 in a 40-26 win in Jacksonville. He completed 25 of 33 passes for 378 yards (season-best 11.5 per attempt), three touchdowns and no interceptions. His passer rating was 143.2.



This was indeed a strong performance by Mahomes, but it was nowhere near as stellar as the numbers suggest. Mahomes executed his role effectively, but circumstances made his job extremely easy. The offensive line was excellent, and the Jaguars busted numerous coverages, opening some of the biggest deep throwing windows you will see in the NFL.



Mahomes took advantage of those mistakes to rack up big numbers. On the downside, Mahomes missed on a handful of easy opportunities: misfiring on a short out route, airmailing an open Kelce in the end zone on a scramble drill, and failing to see an open Demarcus Robinson running a post route with a free lane into the end zone.



Do not get it twisted. Mahomes was excellent in Jacksonville. Completing throws downfield is difficult no matter how open the windows are, and it also takes some headiness to consistently recognize busted coverages. Quarterbacks often leave easy deep shots on the field. Mahomes converted the gift-wrapped deep opportunities presented to him at an elite level against the Jaguars (as he usually does).



However, given the ease of his role that afternoon, it simply is not close to Mahomes’ best performance of the season.



BEST PLAY OF SEASON



My pick for Mahomes’ best play of the season probably does not show up on any highlight video. That's because it wasn't even a completed pass.



I love everything about this throw from Mahomes at Tennessee in Week 10. Pressure comes immediately as nobody blocks the outside linebacker to Mahomes’ right. Mahomes processes it so quickly, appearing to understand this pressure would be coming before the ball even reaches his hands. He knows exactly where he is going with the football, winding up to throw to Sammy Watkins on a wheel route to the right side. When Mahomes begins his throwing motion, Watkins has barely begun to turn upfield.

The pass is perfect. With the rusher in his grill and Watkins suffocated by Logan Ryan, Mahomes drops it right in the breadbasket. Watkins loses it following a nice play by Ryan, but it does not take away from the incredible effort by Mahomes on this rep.

Tennessee dialed up a play that beat what Kansas City had called, generating instant uncontested pressure and blanketing the first read. Yet Mahomes was so prepared for the situation and executed the throw so perfectly that he gave his offense a golden opportunity at a huge pickup on a snap in which they were left for dead. This is what makes Mahomes so difficult to stop. No matter how well the defense executes, he is always capable of finding a way to get the football into a receiver’s hands.