Patrick Mahomes Vows to Do ‘Whatever It Takes’ to End Chiefs Slump Despite Serious Injury Risk

Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs are facing a rare regular-season crisis. After a dominant 5-0 start to the year, back-to-back losses to the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos have left the Chiefs at 5-2. Sunday’s 28-24 collapse at Empower Field at Mile High stung the deepest.

Kansas City held a commanding 24-13 lead early in the fourth quarter, only to watch the Broncos erupt for 15 unanswered points. The historic meltdown handed Patrick Mahomes just his third career loss when leading by double digits in the final frame.

Now, despite throwing for 321 yards and three touchdowns in the defeat, a frustrated Mahomes is publicly vowing to risk his own physical health to stop the skid this Sunday against the New York Jets.

Patrick Mahomes vows to run sneaks after Chiefs’ goal-line collapse

The game came down to a brutal final 35 seconds that left Chiefs fans furious. Kansas City was down by four but had a first-and-goal at the Denver 4-yard line, giving them a 76% chance to win according to Next Gen Stats. On first down, Kenneth Walker III rushed to the 1-yard line. But the offense stalled from there, as Mahomes threw an incomplete pass on second down and Walker was stuffed for no gain on third down.

Following the goal-line collapse, the Chiefs community directed heavy criticism toward the team’s refusal to run a quarterback sneak on either down from the 1-yard line. 

Data shows that Kansas City is the single most hesitant team in the NFL when it comes to short-yardage under-center runs. According to Pro Football Focus, the Chiefs have attempted only eight total sneaks since 2019, with tight ends Blake Bell or Noah Gray lining up under center for every single one of them. 

Mahomes addressed the hole in the offensive playbook, bluntly acknowledging his fearlessness. “I’m going to do whatever it takes to win,” he said. “At the end of the day, quarterback sneak, whatever that is, I’ll do whatever it takes. It’s not like I’m scared to go out there and put my body on the line. That’s kind of how I played. And it’s gotten me in trouble sometimes, and then sometimes it’s helped the team.”

The “trouble” Mahomes referenced points directly back to October 17, 2019. During a Week 7 matchup against Denver, Mahomes dislocated his right kneecap on a fourth-and-1 sneak from the Broncos’ 5-yard line. 

While an MRI the following day revealed no structural damage, early team expectations feared a four-to-six-week recovery timeline. Mahomes defied the odds by missing only two games before making his return on Nov. 10 against the Tennessee Titans. 

Andy Reid defended the play back then in 2019, but he hasn’t allowed Mahomes to run a sneak since. That restriction could break this Sunday as the Chiefs try to end their losing streak. If Reid still wants to play it safe with Mahomes, he can turn to his bench. Backup quarterback Justin Fields is a great option to handle those short-yardage plays instead.

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