Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes needs to get away from Myles Garrett

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes has been forced to adapt this season to circumstances he didn’t consistently face earlier in his career, particularly when it comes to being under pressure from the opposing pass rush.

“It’s a part of football,” Mahomes said matter-of-factly. “We played a lot of good defense this year.” That’s the only bad thing about winning the Super Bowl. “They play the best schedule and we played a lot of good defensive ends and defensive linemen.”

The Kansas City Chiefs have had difficult schedules before, but this season has been their worst when it comes to protecting Mahomes, who has been sacked 13 times in the last three games and 23 times in the last six.

He was sacked 35 times in 13 games this season, more than ever before in his career. His previous high in a full season was 28. And it’s not like opponents have focused on pressuring Mahomes. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, he was blitzed on 24.4% of his dropbacks, the fifth-lowest percentage in the league.

The Chiefs have used three different players at left tackle this season. The first two, rookie Kingsley Suamataia and Wanya Morris, were so disappointing that they were benched.

Last week against the Los Angeles Chargers, the Chiefs turned to veteran DJ Humphries, who signed as a free agent two weeks ago. However, according to Next Gen Stats, he wasn’t an improvement as he gave up eight pressures in 40 pass block attempts. The 20% pressure rate was the second highest given up by a Chiefs left tackle in a game this season.

Sunday’s game against the Browns in Cleveland (1 p.m. ET, CBS) brings added urgency to improve. Their standout pass rusher is Myles Garrett, who ranks second in the league with 11 sacks.

“You have to give him a different look,” Mahomes said. “You can’t keep letting him speed past.” He was named Defensive Player of the Year for a reason. He will win many of these matchups. So we’re going to move him. We’re going to throw him different pitches to hopefully keep his mind busy, but at the end of the day he’s going to make plays happen.

“When he starts gaining reps or winning certain plays, you can’t make negative plays, get rid of the football even if that means throwing it away, and live to make another play.”

Mahomes indicated that he deserved some blame for his high sack count, saying he held the ball too long on certain plays. He cited the first sack he recorded against the Chargers, which came on third down on the game’s first drive and forced the Chiefs to kick a field goal.

“There are times when I try to be greedy and shoot down,” he said. “Look at the early sacks in that last game.” Down the first third. I probably (should) just hit (Travis Kelce) and he might get the first down, or maybe he wouldn’t, but I try to really hold on to him and then I run into the pocket, try to make a play and run into a sack .”

Mahomes took advantage of the quick passing game against the Chargers and made it work. According to Next Gen Stats, he completed 17 of 19 throws, or about 90%, when he passed within 2.5 seconds. He was 7 of 18 when he needed more than 2.5 seconds.

Mahomes has played more quick passes this season than ever before in his career, a sign that he is adjusting to his new circumstances. When asked if Mahomes could have adapted in this way earlier in his career, coach Andy Reid indicated he wasn’t sure, saying, “We didn’t ask him to.”

Added offensive coordinator Matt Nagy: “That might have been more difficult for him as a young, up-and-coming guy who wants to throw 75 touchdown passes and have a million explosive (plays) every year.”

“He’s really maturing and growing as a quarterback. His mentality doesn’t change. Don’t twist this. He’s still trying to get downfield. But if they don’t give it to him, you continue to develop as a quarterback.” “That means he didn’t throw 30 interceptions.”

The Chiefs also had problems on offense last season, although the problems were different. Back then, the Chiefs had few reliable wide receivers and led the league in dropped passes.

Mahomes admitted his frustration after the season. He said he sees more hope this season than last year, when the Chiefs overcame their struggles to win their second straight Super Bowl.

If the Chiefs want to win a third straight championship this time around, it could well depend on his continued ability to handle the pressure.

“We need to be able to make some of those explosive plays,” Mahomes said. “Once you do that, it opens up everything else.” It feels like we’re holding back on rides (and) on little things, and I’ve been saying that all year, but this is close. I firmly believe that we are close at this point, much closer than we were last year.

“It’s just a matter of finding a way to prove it on the football field on…game days. Then we can go into the playoffs with some momentum.”