Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes had great things to say about his rookie offensive tackle.

During Thursday's press conference, Mahomes praised the technique and work ethic of rookie left tackle Wanya Morris, who earned his first starts in Weeks 14 and 15.

"He’s a battler," Mahomes said. "He’s getting better and better as far as technique, little things we do within our offense and how (offensive line) coach (Andy) Heck wants it."

"If he loses a rep, he’s going to come back with the mentality that he’s going to win that one and he’s not going to let anything affect his mentality. It’s great when you throw a guy in there like that – a young guy – and he steps up to the plate and he gets a base hit or he hits a home run. He’s ready to go, whenever his number gets called, he’s going to be ready to play.”

Is there a left tackle competition?

A big question that has been left unanswered is whether Morris should be the guy at left tackle moving forward. Veteran LT Donovan Smith was the guy in Weeks 1-13, but went down with a neck injury which paved the way for Morris to step in.

Since Morris took the reigns, he has done a good job — maybe even better of a job than Smith. While the sample size is much smaller for Morris, he has a greater pass blocking efficiency (96.2 percent vs. 95.4) and a much better run blocking grade (56.3 vs. 45) than Smith, via Pro Football Focus. And while PFF numbers aren't infallible, anyone watching the film closely will notice that Morris has been at best an upgrade over Smith, and at worst a push.

But with Smith returning from injury sooner than later, the Chiefs' coaches may think differently, opting for the vet during the home stretch of the season in place of the rookie who's still learning.

So that begs the question: Should the Chiefs go with the veteran to finish the regular season and heading into the playoffs, or continue with the hot hand and possible left tackle of the future?