‘Kansas City Chiefs quarterback’ Patrick Mahomes feels unassailable, Matt Nagy focused on him timing footwork ahead of Year 8…

With three Super Bowl titles and two NFL MVP awards, the talent of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes feels unassailable.

His heroics make it easy to forget about the rough stretches he and the Chiefs’ offense overcame in their latest championship run: in 2023, the team finished 15th in the NFL for points scored and 13th in net yards per pass attempt. Each ranking is the lowest a Chiefs team has finished with Mahomes as the starter.

The improvement in these areas started with the roster turnover this spring, but it ends with the unit’s leaders: Mahomes and offensive coordinator Matt Nagy. The coach and quarterback are embracing that: after OTA practice last Thursday, Nagy detailed his points of emphasis during a press conference.

For Pat, we always talk about matching his eyes with his feet,” Nagy pointed out. “We always talk about being smart in situational football: third down, and in the red zone, protecting the football. I thought he did a really good job of that last year in that area.”

The numbers back up Nagy’s praise: Mahomes may have set a single-season career high in interceptions last year (14), but only two came in the red zone. On third downs, Mahomes registered a 112.6 passer rating — his highest mark in those situations since 2020.

That safekeeping turned into a conservative, unaggressive mindset at times. Down the season’s stretch, Mahomes constantly passed on narrow throwing windows in favor of ball security and reliance on one of the NFL’s top defenses.

Moving forward, the key to more confidence in testing those passes through traffic is timing. Nagy noted the importance of getting the timing of routes down with new receivers, but he also has Mahomes focused on the timing of his footwork.

“This year, we’re really trying to go back to plays where he has a three-step [drop] or five-step from the [shotgun] — where he’s been mixing it up with his feet — we want to get back to getting the ball out on the third step,” Nagy explained. “Then work to the five-step [drop] afterwards… we’re working on footwork with him, which I think is great for him.”

It’s a pointed effort for Mahomes to play with more confidence on pre-snap reads and trust the rhythm of the play design more. Last year, it’s clear the performance of the wide receiver room was restricting these traits; as the pass catchers improved, so did Mahomes’ passing and the unit as a whole.

The deep attempts became more available when the short and intermediate completions became more reliable. That’s what it takes to pry open throwing windows down the field in modern football; coach Nagy sees that trend continuing.

“I think we’ve seen an evolution – not just against the Chiefs in recent years but also in the NFL in general – the deep shots aren’t there as much,” Nagy shared. “[It’s about] having that balance of being able to still have that touchdown to check-down mentality, but be smart with when we do take those shots.”

The additions of wide receivers Hollywood Brown and Xavier Worthy are naturally going to help produce more long bombs, but so is Mahomes having further disciplined timing on a consistent basis.

He has always gotten away with unorthodox movements and unscheduled plays, but the next step in his progress as a player is further refining his footwork to make the most of the unexciting plays, which will help set up more exciting opportunities. That’s what he and Nagy are focused on this summer.