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Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is one of the most talented throwers of a football in recent memory, if not NFL history. His arm strength allows him to make passes that many quarterbacks could only fathom attempting and makes plays that some could only imagine making.
But for one Philadelphia Eagles defender, though he recognizes Mahomes is a generational talent, he doesn’t believe the Chiefs’ superstar is doing things that others in the league aren’t doing as well.
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“I played in a division with Aaron Rodgers. I’ve seen it before,” Philadelphia starting corner Darius Slay told reporters on Wednesday in regards to Mahomes’ play ahead of the Eagles’ matchup against Kansas City. “And I played with a guy named Stafford that does it all the time, too, so it’s nothing new. But [Mahomes] is special, though. Very talented, arguably the best quarterback [in football], definitely in this generation, easily. But I’ve seen it before. He’s very, very talented, man. Taking nothing away from him, best in the game right now.”
What to Make of Slay’s Comments
Slay played the first seven years of his career with the Detroit Lions, who, as he mentioned, were quarterbacked by Matthew Stafford when Slay was there, and are in the same division as the Green Bay Packers, who have Aaron Rodgers. Both of those quarterbacks have a pedigree for making big plays downfield, and doing such with tremendous touch and sometimes while off-balance, similar to what Mahomes does.
However, there’s a case that can be made that neither of those NFC quarterbacks does those things as frequently as Mahomes does, which makes Mahomes all that more special.
Let’s be clear — there aren’t any statistics to support that statement. But based on Mahomes’ tendency to move outside the pocket, along with the speedy weapons he has that push downfield often, Mahomes puts himself in position — even though it’s unnecessary at times — to throw off-kilter. Combined that with the power he has behind his throws, and he consistently amazes those who are watching him.
Mahomes on Getting Tyreek the Football
One playmaker on the Chiefs offense that is the byproduct of some of Mahomes’ magical throws outside the pocket is Tyreek Hill. However, over the past couple of weeks, he has been quiet.
Against the Baltimore Ravens and Los Angeles Chargers, Hill accumulated a total of 70 yards on eight catches, per Pro Football Reference. That production comes after a monster regular-season opener in which he caught 11 balls for 197 yards and a touchdown.
Mahomes spoke about defenses keying in on Hill the past couple of weeks and what Kansas City needs to do to help get their star wide receiver get re-involved in the offense.
“He’s such a good player. He’s kind of seen this type of thing happen to him throughout his entire career,” Mahomes said of Hill during his Wednesday press conference. “It’s our job to find him ways to get open, to find ways to get him chances to make plays. We have to do that to the best of our ability.
“He’s such a playmaker, so finding him ways to get the ball and at the end of the day, other guys have to step up and make plays as well, myself included. It’s frustrating in the sense that we want to get him involved as much as possible, but I think we’re ready for the challenge of it and we’ve done it these last few years and we’ll find a way to do it again.”