After the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Las Vegas Raiders 31-17, quarterback Patrick Mahomes met up with his No. 1 fans. Standing on the sidelines at Allegiant Stadium, the quarterback’s wife, Brittany Mahomes, and their daughter, Sterling, waited to congratulate Mahomes.
At age 2, Sterling can’t yet appreciate Mahomes completing 79.4% of his passes 298 yards, two touchdowns, and zero interceptions, but that doesn’t matter. She was simply thrilled to see her father. Brittany posted photos of Sterling’s adorable reaction on her Instagram Stories and wrote, “As soon as she saw her Dad running to her 🥺🥹❤️ @patrickmahomes.” The Kansas City Current co-owner shared a second picture and added, “She was the happiest girl ❤️ @patrickmahomes.”
Win or lose, Mahomes’ family, which includes son, Bronze, always has his back. During the Chiefs’ frustrating loss to the Philadelphia Eagles last week, Mahomes completed just 55.8% of his passes for 177 yards – a new season low. With hopes for the Chiefs offense to bounce back dwindling, Mahomes’ wife sent a strong message of support. She wrote on her Instagram Stories, “My boo thang, I love you. I am always proud of you.”
Patrick Mahomes Credited Travis Kelce for ‘Jumpstarting’ the Offense
Mahomes dropped an absolute DIME to Travis Kelce 😮💨
(🎥 @NFL)
— KC Sports Network (@KCSportsNetwork) November 26, 2023
Mahomes and Co. struggled early against the Raiders. Throughout the first eight offensive snaps, Kanas City gained a total of 13 yards. With Las Vegas up 14-0 in the second quarter, and the Chiefs’ inability to score in the second half over the past three games, things looked bleak.
However, once Mahomes connected on a short pass with his No. 1 target, tight end Travis Kelce, who pushed the play 12 yards to nab a first down, the energy shifted. “That jumpstarted the whole entire offense,” Mahomes told reporters after the game. “It was big for us to get that first touchdown drive and it got the momentum back in our favor.”
While Kelce finished against the Raiders with six receptions for 91 yards, Mahomes credited the receiving corps for stepping up when the four-time All-Pro was buried in coverage. “I thought, for the most part, guys around (Kelce) made stuff happen whenever they did double-team him,” Mahomes said. “That takes teams out of that, and that’s when you can get the ball back to him. Teams are going to continue to double him in big situations, and we’re going to have to continue to prove that other guys can make those big plays.”
Justin Watson wanted to let Robert Spillane know he scored a TD after Spillane laid him out 😂 pic.twitter.com/kNn1LeKqHa
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) November 26, 2023
Running back Isiah Pacheco tallied 15 carries for 55 yards and two scores. Wide receiver Justin Watson caught all three of his passes for three yards and a touchdown. Mahomes stressed “just going back to the fundamentals” in order to get back on track. “We still have stuff to learn from this game. There are situations where we didn’t execute at a high enough level but we obviously took a positive step in the right direction.”
Chiefs Coach Commended WR Rashee Rice For Becoming More ‘Patrick-Friendly’
Rashee Rice can’t be caught! TD @Chiefs
📺: #KCvsLV on CBS
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/1dOevJjoZZ pic.twitter.com/cwMKdX58cp— NFL (@NFL) November 26, 2023
While Mahomes has been throwing darts this season, his receiving corps has struggled to catch the ball. Heading into Week 12, they led the league with 26 drops. Between penalties, dropped passes, and an inability to gain short yardage, the Chiefs offense seemed broken.
However, the two-time Super Bowl MVP never threw his receivers under the bus. Instead, Mahomes spent extra time with the young receivers, making sure they were on the same page. And the results spoke for themselves against the Raiders. Rookie Rashee Rice became the first Chiefs receiver to record over 100 yards in a single game this season. “He’s been getting better every week,” Chiefs head coach Andy Reid told reporters of Rice on Monday, November 27. “He’s working to be more Patrick-Friendly. There’s a lot that goes into that.”
Reid saw Rice approach Mahomes to get extra reps during downtime in practice. “They talk through things, and then they run routes: ‘This is the look where I’m seeing you on this route against this coverage.’ And they spend time with each other there. And then off the field, likewise, for meetings — they keep an open communication there. So it’s something that is needed, especially with a young receiver.” Next up, Kanas City (8-3) will face the Green Bay Packers (5-6) at Lambeau Field on Sunday Night Football in Week 13. The Chiefs trail behind the Baltimore Ravens (9-3) for first place in the AFC.
