Currently sitting at 4-0 after winning three of the last five Super Bowl crowns, Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid now finds himself in the curious position of dealing with some issues with quarterback Patrick Mahomes unload.
“I’m just here to be a teacher, I try to help him with whatever I can help him with,” Reid told FS1’s Colin Cowherd.
Although he sounds like a losing coach discussing a struggling young quarterback, Reid is actually talking about a three-time Super Bowl MVP who has completed nearly 70 percent of his passes for the year.
Still, Mahomes has looked decidedly shaky through his first four games. He has thrown more interceptions (five) than all but two other quarterbacks, and his current passer rating of 89.7 would mark a personal low dating back to his 2017 rookie season.
As Reid explained, his job is to make sure Mahomes remains his usual confident self: “My point against him is keep shooting. You’re the best in the business, keep shooting. As we go there, we’ll continue to work on the little things.”
Andy Reid’s Message to Patrick Mahomes: ‘You’re the Best in the Business, Keep Shooting’
Mahomes and Reid talk during the second half of Sunday’s win over the Chargers in LA
Fortunately, Reid explained, Mahomes remains brimming with confidence and extremely coachable.
“First of all, no one wants to be coached more than they want to be coached, and no one knows when they’re making a mistake better than they know themselves,” Reid said. “He doesn’t want to throw the interceptions, so maybe there’s something in there that he can see for next time.
“He wants to do well, that’s the kind of guy he is,” Reid continued, giving a nod to Mahomes’ father, a former reliever for the Minnesota Twins. “Always in the building and deals like that. He grew up in a locker room, so he’s always there. You don’t get the whole ego thing, he just wants to know where the guys are and how he can make it better.”
Of course, that was difficult due to Travis Kelce’s slow start and significant injuries to receivers Rashee Rice and Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, both of whom may be ready for the regular season.
Rice, who injured his knee in a collision with Mahomes, will need more tests to determine the extent of his injury.
The good news for Kansas City is the development of first-round pick Xavier Worthy, who now has nine catches for two touchdowns and 154 yards on 15 targets.