WINNING FORMULA 

Patrick Mahomes sends clear message to Andy Reid and warns NFL rivals as struggling QB’s stats are revealed

Mahomes and the Chiefs have one of the best defenses in the NFL

PATRICK Mahomes isn’t having a statistically great season, yet the Chiefs are still 8-0.

Mahomes knows he isn’t having his best year, but is letting opposing teams know it doesn’t matter.

Patrick Mahomes is having the worst statistical season of his career
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Patrick Mahomes is having the worst statistical season of his careerCredit: Getty

Mahomes and Andy Reid care more about winning that his stats
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Mahomes and Andy Reid care more about winning that his statsCredit: Reuters
Before the Kansas City Chiefs’ Monday night win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Mahomes let teams know that winning is the only thing he cares about.

“When we win, [scoring less points] doesn’t hurt as bad,” Mahomes said.

“Obviously I want to be perfect. I want to be great. I don’t want to put our defense in bad positions like I did the other day.

“But at the end of the day, I want to win.”

Despite the Chiefs’ undefeated record, Mahomes is on pace to have the worst statistical career of his season.

He currently has 1,942 yards, 11 touchdowns, and nine interceptions on the year.

Over a full 17 games that is on pace for 4,126 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 17 interceptions.

Those numbers would be the second-lowest yardage total, the lowest touchdown total, and the highest interception total of his career.

A lot of those issues can be attributed to an injury-plagued offense though.

The Chiefs have been without wide receivers Rashee Rice and Marquise Brown for most of the season, and running back Isaiah Pacheco also went down with injury early.

Patrick Mahomes shakes his head and compares Travis Kelce to his daughter
Fortunately for Mahomes and the Chiefs, the team has a stellar defensive unit that is keeping them in low-scoring games.

No Chiefs opponent has scored over 25 points this season, and they allow on average just 18.4 points per game. That is the fourth-best number in all of football.

“However we have to win the football game, I’m good with it,” Mahomes said.

“If that’s scoring a lot of touchdowns, not scoring touchdowns. If that’s running the football.

“Whatever it is, if it’s playing defense to win football games, I just want to win at the end of the day.

NFL head coach annual salaries

1. Andy Reid – Chiefs – $20 million

2. Sean Payton – Broncos – $18 million

=3. Mike Tomlin – Steelers – $16 million

=3. Jim Harbaugh – Chargers – $16 million

5. Sean McVay – Rams – $15 million

6. Kyle Shanahan – 49ers – $14 million

7. John Harbaugh – Ravens – $12 million

=8. Dan Campbell – Lions – $11 million

=8. Sean McDermott – Bills – $11 million

10. Mike MacDonald – Seahawks – $10 million

“I think we’re doing a great job of that.”

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid is fine with Mahomes having lower numbers, and said just his presence on the field is important.

“[They’re] doing a nice job with their shell coverage, which is allowing us to get light yards underneath, it’s just not the big chunk plays,” Reid said.

“I’m okay with whatever they present defensively. We’ve got to use what we have there.

“Teams would show you shell coverage and [Mahomes] would have to kind of get used to that whole deal.

“Now, he sees it, handles it, gets it to his guys [and] gets the ball out of his hands. He’s a great player. He manages everything.

“It’s like having a coach on the field.”

Reid considers Mahomes' presence on the field more important than his play
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Reid considers Mahomes’ presence on the field more important than his play