Since Patrick Mahomes took over as the team’s starting quarterback in 2018, the Chiefs had never finished outside the top six in yards and points.
But this year was clearly different as the club ended the regular season No. 9 in yards and No. 15 in scoring. That’s a significant drop off from being No. 1 in both categories last year, as the club went from amassing 496 points to just 371 in 2023.
Still, as the Chiefs prepare to play the Dolphins on Saturday night, Mahomes told reporters on Tuesday that he’s “extremely confident” the offense can find another gear in the postseason.
“Not only in our offense, but in our football team,” Mahomes said in his press conference. “You see how the defense is playing, offensively I feel like we’re going to play our best football at the right time. I think if we can just score — we don’t even have to score too many points if we can just score enough points our defense will shut the door and we can find a way to get the win.”
That has been the biggest difference in the team this season, as Kansas City finished No. 2 in yards allowed and points allowed.
While there’s no guarantee the offense will be able to find the consistency it hasn’t had all season, the Chiefs do have the benefit of experience. While it’s unlikely to happen if Kansas City advances the year, the team has hosted the last five AFC Championship Games.
“We play in a lot of big games, playing games on short rest, we play in night games, whatever it is,” Mahomes said. “I think just having that experience is going to help us. Having those games where not everything is going your way, and you have to find a way to pull through and get a win. A lot of guys on this team have done that.
“The step up that you always see going into the playoffs, it will be a step up, but I think we can make it even a little bit smaller because we’ve been in games like this. Just being able to rely on our experiences and go out there and be the best team we can be and play our best football and see what happens.”
In 14 postseason games since 2018, Mahomes has completed 67.3 percent of his passes for 4,084 yards with 35 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Last year, he completed 72 percent of his throws for 703 yards with seven touchdowns and no picks en route to winning Super Bowl LVII.
