{"id":244658,"date":"2025-09-01T16:30:07","date_gmt":"2025-09-01T20:30:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=244658"},"modified":"2025-09-01T16:29:12","modified_gmt":"2025-09-01T20:29:12","slug":"patrick-mahomes-must-overcome-chiefs-biggest-weakness-in-tom-brady-pursuit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2025\/09\/01\/patrick-mahomes-must-overcome-chiefs-biggest-weakness-in-tom-brady-pursuit\/","title":{"rendered":"Patrick Mahomes Must Overcome Chiefs\u2019 \u2018Biggest Weakness\u2019 in Tom Brady Pursuit"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Kansas City Chiefs and <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2025\/08\/31\/chiefs-mahomes-intriguing-contract-broncos-chargers\/\" target=\"_self\">Patrick Mahomes<\/a> are on a mission to prove their performance in the Super Bowl against the Philadelphia Eagles is an outlier, and the offense remains their \u201cgreatest strength\u201d as the three-time Super Bowl champion seeks to catch <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2025\/02\/26\/nfl-announces-matthew-stafford-update-tom-brady-raiders\/\" target=\"_self\">Tom Brady<\/a> again.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/chiefswire.usatoday.com\/story\/sports\/nfl\/chiefs\/2024\/09\/23\/kansas-city-chiefs-patrick-mahomes-breaks-tom-brady-record\/75350052007\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mahomes already broke Brady\u2019s shared record<\/a> with former Dallas Cowboys star <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2023\/08\/01\/cowboys-dak-prescott-turns-30-is-time-on-his-side\/\" target=\"_self\">Roger Staubach<\/a> for most wins over a QB\u2019s first 100 starts early last season.<\/p>\n<p>Potentially next on the to-do list: another AFC Championship Game berth.<\/p>\n<h2>Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes on Tom Brady\u2019s Heels Once Again<\/h2>\n<h3>Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs Can Match Tom Brady\u2019s New England Patriots<\/h3>\n<p>\u201cIf Mahomes reaches the AFC Championship Game for an eighth consecutive season, he would match Tom Brady (2011-18) for the longest streak of conference championship starts since the 1970 merger,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/nfl\/story\/_\/id\/45944636\/nfl-team-previews-2025-predictions-fantasy-sleepers-rankings-depth-charts#kc\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">per ESPN research<\/a> on August 31.<\/p>\n<p>The Brady-Mahomes connection will endure, with the legend offering advice.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Patrick Mahomes on His Mentality This Season, Advice From Tom Brady, DEEPEST WR Core &amp; NFL Top 100!\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/hMqQJRaPUAw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Mahomes remains a hot-button topic, with this offseason featuring dialogue about whether or not he and the Chiefs can not only sustain their current level, but also return to the greater heights they achieved as back-to-back Super Bowl champions.<\/p>\n<p>If that plan is going to come together, they are going to need some dominoes to fall into place, starting with Mahomes and the offense.<\/p>\n<h3>Chiefs\u2019 \u2018Biggest Strength\u2019 at Risk Due to \u2018Biggest Concern\u2019<\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_231320\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-231320\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-231320\" src=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/05\/USATSI_25557986-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/05\/USATSI_25557986-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/05\/USATSI_25557986-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/05\/USATSI_25557986-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/05\/USATSI_25557986-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/05\/USATSI_25557986-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/05\/USATSI_25557986-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/05\/USATSI_25557986-1200x800.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-231320\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Kansas City Chiefs are bringing Patrick Mahomes&#8217; brother in for rookie minicamp.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>ESPN\u2019s Nate Taylor listed Mahomes and head coach <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2025\/03\/21\/andy-reid-chiefs-offensive-innovation-success\/\" target=\"_self\">Andy Reid<\/a> as the Chiefs\u2019 \u201cbiggest strength\u201d heading into the 2025 season.<\/p>\n<p>Taylor wrote that the duo \u201cis still the best coach-quarterback combination in the league,\u201d Taylor wrote. \u201cMahomes was excellent in camp and has worked to improve his deep-ball passing. Reid and Mahomes are capable of adjusting during a game or the middle of the season to always give the Chiefs a chance to win.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>However, Taylor also mentioned the offensive line as the \u201cbiggest concern.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Specifically, Taylor noted the combined inexperience of rookie first-round pick <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2025\/08\/30\/former-agent-drops-telling-take-on-chiefs-polarizing-80-million-starter\/\" target=\"_self\">Josh Simmons<\/a> at left tackle and second-year second-round pick <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2025\/08\/28\/hicks-x-factor-reid-saints-rb-trade\/\" target=\"_self\">Kingsley Suamataia<\/a> at left guard.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Chiefs plan to protect the blind side of Mahomes with a rookie and a second-year player switching to a new position,\u201d Taylor wrote. \u201cHow Simmons and Suamataia perform this season will determine much of the Chiefs&#8217; success on offense.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Josh Simmons (LT) pass protection vs the Bears <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/I2qtzWN4tH\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/I2qtzWN4tH<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Brady Penn (@bradypenn21) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/bradypenn21\/status\/1959232466247446937?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">August 23, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>That is a lot of pressure, literally, to put on the Chiefs\u2019 young players, even with Mahomes.<\/p>\n<h3>Patrick Mahomes Sees Dip in Executive Poll<\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_236748\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-236748\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-236748\" src=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/06\/USATSI_25282866-scaled-e1749928670587-1024x577.jpg\" alt=\"Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs\" width=\"640\" height=\"361\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/06\/USATSI_25282866-scaled-e1749928670587-1024x577.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/06\/USATSI_25282866-scaled-e1749928670587-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/06\/USATSI_25282866-scaled-e1749928670587-768x433.jpg 768w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/06\/USATSI_25282866-scaled-e1749928670587-1536x865.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2025\/06\/USATSI_25282866-scaled-e1749928670587-2048x1154.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-236748\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jan 26, 2025; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) against the Buffalo Bills during the AFC Championship game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Athletic conducted a poll of coaches and executives around the league, and Mahomes experienced a notable, albeit slight, slide on the court of public opinion.<\/p>\n<p>According to The Athletic\u2019s Jeff Howe, \u201cTeams smell blood in the water\u201d with Mahomes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMahomes is just so talented, and he keeps doing it with different groups of players,\u201d an anonymous executive said, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/6584048\/2025\/09\/01\/nfl-predictions-2025-awards-poll-joe-burrow\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">per Howe<\/a> on September 1. \u201cThey keep turning over their skill players.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2025\/08\/29\/chiefs-get-reality-check-about-ominous-patrick-mahomes-trend\/\" target=\"_self\">roster turnover<\/a> has presented challenges and led to Mahomes resorting to being more of a game manager.<\/p>\n<p>This offseason has offered hope that the offense will return to its explosive form.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Mahomes goes long to Tyquan Thornton!<\/p>\n<p>Stream on <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NFLPlus?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@NFLPlus<\/a> <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/bVmcODAep8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/bVmcODAep8<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; NFL (@NFL) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NFL\/status\/1959054359356219635?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">August 23, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Otherwise, the noise around Mahomes and where his legacy is headed will only increase as he gets older and the Chiefs\u2019 roster undergoes further changes. They also have to be cognizant of Reid\u2019s future as the 67-year-old head coach enters his 27th year in the NFL alone.<\/p>\n<p><main><\/main><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Chiefs are looking to return to form.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2879,"featured_media":233122,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[188,7811,1576,331],"class_list":["post-244658","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chiefs","tag-andy-reid","tag-chiefs-featured","tag-patrick-mahomes","tag-tom-brady"],"modified_by":"Josh Buckhalter","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244658","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2879"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=244658"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244658\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":244659,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244658\/revisions\/244659"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/233122"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=244658"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=244658"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=244658"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}