The Mahomes Effect: How Patrick Mahomes Will Elevate the Chiefs in 2024

Despite capturing the Lombardi Trophy in Super Bowl LVIII, the 2023-24 season posed unprecedented challenges for Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. The campaign tested the limits of Mahomes’s resilience and highlighted areas for improvement within the team.

The Chiefs ended the regular season with a 10-6 record, marking Mahomes’s lowest win total in a full season as a starter. His statistical output also saw a significant dip, with only 27 touchdown passes, a far cry from his usual prolific numbers. Furthermore, Mahomes threw 14 interceptions, the highest in his career, while his success rate and QBR hit career lows at 48.2% and 63.1, respectively.

While Mahomes’s performance was not flawless, much of the struggles can be attributed to the team’s deficiencies. A depleted wide receiver corps and inconsistent play from star tight end Travis Kelce created formidable obstacles. However, the Chiefs’ general manager, Brett Veach, took decisive action in the offseason to bolster the offensive arsenal, aiming to avert a repeat of last year’s shortcomings.

Garrett Podell of CBS Sports is optimistic about Mahomes’s prospects for the 2024 season, citing the improved support as a key factor. Podell includes Mahomes in his list of quarterbacks “most likely to improve” statistically, emphasizing the enhanced receiving options as pivotal to this prediction.

“Much of that decline can be blamed on his supporting cast,” Podell noted. “The Chiefs’ wide receivers had the most drops (28) and the highest drop rate (12%) in the entire league in 2023, per Sportrader. As a result, Mahomes averaged a career-low 7.7 yards per pass attempt when targeting wide receivers in 2023 and had the worst touchdown-to-interception ratio in the NFL when throwing to wide receivers that were 10 or more yards downfield, just one touchdown to six interceptions.”

To address these issues, the Chiefs selected Texas wide receiver Xavier Worthy, who set a record with a 4.21 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine, with the 28th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Additionally, they signed Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, a former first-round pick known for his deep-threat capabilities. These acquisitions are expected to rejuvenate Mahomes’s deep passing game, offering him the tools needed to regain his form.

Excluding the anomalous 2019 and 2023 seasons, Mahomes has consistently set high standards for his performance. His worst marks in other full campaigns—4,740 yards (2020), 37 touchdowns (2021), and a 67.7 QBR (2021)—still reflect a quarterback at the top of his game. The 2022 season, for instance, demonstrated his adaptability post-Tyreek Hill, with a better supporting cast than in 2023.

Given these considerations, it is reasonable to expect Mahomes to bounce back and reassert himself as the NFL’s premier quarterback. This resurgence could see him climb the MVP rankings after finishing seventh in voting last season. With an improved supporting cast and a renewed focus, Mahomes is poised to elevate the Chiefs and solidify his legacy in the 2024 season.