Patrick Mahomes’ worst season is still a good season by the standard of most quarterbacks, but his stats from 2023 represent easily the worst of his NFL career.
Mahomes, whose regular season is over as he’ll sit out on Sunday to stay healthy for the playoffs, finished with the worst numbers of any of his six seasons as the Chiefs’ starting quarterback.
Mahomes averaged 7.0 yards per pass, the worst of his career. He averaged 261.4 passing yards per game, the worst of his career. He threw a touchdown on 4.5 percent of his passes, the lowest of his career. He threw an interception on 2.3 percent of his passes, the highest of his career. His passer rating was 92.6, the worst of his career. He was sacked on 4.33 percent of his dropbacks, the most of his career.
Those are all still acceptable numbers, but the Chiefs have come to rely on Mahomes not to be just acceptable, but to be the greatest quarterback in the NFL. That’s been particularly difficult for Mahomes this year, when he’s been saddled with the worst supporting cast of his career. The Chiefs’ receivers have combined to drop 40 passes this season, or 6.6 percent of their targets, according to Pro Football Reference. Those are both the worst marks in the NFL this season.
So getting Mahomes back on track may be more about getting his receivers playing better than about anything Mahomes himself needs to do. A better supporting cast will be a focal point for the Chiefs in the offseason. Whether that supporting cast can play better in the postseason remains to be seen.
