Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is under the microscope.
Everyone is wondering how he will perform during the 2026 season after tearing the ACL and LCL in his left knee in Week 15 of 2025. Coach Andy Reid confirmed Mahomes will start Week 1, and he will face a huge test against an elite Denver Broncos defense.
Sports Media Personality Colin Cowherd Takes Shot at Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes
During an episode of “The Herd with Colin Cowherd,” host Colin Cowherd stated that he made a last-minute change to his final playoff predictions heading into the season. He originally had the Chiefs making the playoffs, but swapped them out in favor of the Broncos because of the injury status of left tackle Josh Simmons.
Cowherd then went on to claim that left tackle play is Mahomes’ kryptonite, citing that his efficiency significantly drops off when he doesn’t have a top tier left tackle. Cowherd also took the opportunity to put Los Angeles Chargers QB Justin Herbert on a pedestal over Mahomes, saying that Herbert doesn’t struggle when he is without his starting LT.
“That is the kryptonite for Patrick Mahomes,” Cowherd said. “His two Super Bowl losses, they were banged up at left tackle. That’s his kryptonite. When Justin Herbert’s missing a left tackle, he makes the playoffs. When Mahomes doesn’t have a left tackle, he doesn’t. He has less efficiency, he starts ad-libbing too much, he doesn’t play with the same level of confidence. He starts playing off-scripts, he gets very, very loose, he’s not as efficient. Justin Herbert may not have all the wiggle of Mahomes, but he’s not as left tackle dependent. Mahomes is. That’s his kryptonite.”
Colin Cowherd’s Criticism of Patrick Mahomes Is Absurd and Untrue
There is no denying that Mahomes walked into a pretty sweet situation when he was drafted by the Chiefs back in 2017. To Cowherd’s point that he would later make, Mahomes had great talent surrounding him such as tight end Travis Kelce, wide receiver Tyreek Hill, as well as offensive tackles Mitchell Schwartz and Eric Fisher.
However, Mahomes won two of his three Super Bowls without the latter three players. In regards to Fisher, he was better than most LTs during his time with Mahomes, but he was not among the elite at the position. In 2021 and 2022, Mahomes’ starting LT was Orlando Brown Jr., who many would describe as a middling player.
Blocking for Mahomes at LT in 2023 was Donovan Smith, who turned in a very subpar performance that year. So much so, that Smith was unable to get a job with another team afterwards and went on to retire. Despite that, Mahomes won his second consecutive Super Bowl that season.
Last but not least, Mahomes had four different starting LTs in 2024. Down the stretch of the regular season and throughout the playoffs, career guard Joe Thuney held it down at LT. However, that didn’t stop Mahomes from leading Kansas City to a 15-2 record and a third-straight Super Bowl appearance. No disrespect to Herbert, but he owns an 0-3 career postseason record.
Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes Gets Absurd Criticism From Colin Cowherd