Patrick Mahomes reopens old wounds for Chiefs fans with the wrong type of history in Week 9 loss to the Bills
Patrick Mahomes reminded Chiefs Kingdom of some dark days with his Week 9 performance against the Bills.
Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes had what was definitively one of the worst games of his career in the 28-21 loss against the Buffalo Bills in Week 9.
Mahomes finished the game 15-of-34 for 250 yards and one interception. That’s just a 44.1 completion percentage for No. 15. It isn’t just the lowest mark of Mahomes’ career, but also the lowest mark of any Chiefs quarterback during the Andy Reid era (minimum of 10 passing attempts) per Associated Press writer Josh Dubow. You have to go back to Week 17 of the 2012 NFL season to find the last quarterback with a lower completion percentage in a single game when Brady Quinn went 7-of-16 passing, notching a 43.8 completion percentage vs. the Denver Broncos.
Mahomes had never had less than a 50% completion percentage in a single game before the Week 9 loss to the Bills. The previous holder of the worst completion percentage of the Andy Reid era was Alex Smith, who had a 45.2 completion percentage in Week 8 against the Broncos in 2017.
Giving credit where it’s due, this wasn’t just Mahomes imploding and having a bad game. The Bills very much so managed to turn Mahomes into a Brady Quinn-level quarterback on Sunday, and with a depleted defense at that. Let that sink in.
Part of the reason for Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes’ performance
While we won’t know what the Buffalo secondary was doing to make Mahomes hold onto the football until the All-22 comes out, we do know that their defensive line did its part. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, the Bills’ defense pressured Mahomes on 52.6% of his dropbacks in Week 9. That was good for a whopping 14.3% higher than their pressure rate in each of the eight matchups against the Chiefs since 2020. Mahomes completed just 3 of 16 passes for 61 yards and an interception when under pressure on Sunday afternoon.
Funny enough, Mahomes faced a 54% pressure rate against the Cleveland Browns in Week 15 of the 2024 NFL season. Before the Week 9 loss to the Bills, that was his lowest completion percentage in a single game in his career, completing just 19 of 38 passes for 159 yards and two touchdowns.
Chiefs’ Remaining 2025 Schedule
- Week 10: BYE
- Week 11: @ Broncos
- Week 12: Colts
- Week 13: @ Cowboys
- Week 14: Texans
- Week 15: Chargers
- Week 16: @ Titans
- Week 17: Broncos
- Week 18: @ Raiders
Some of this can be attributed to the injuries and absences along the Chiefs’ offensive line, but there was definitely more to it than that. This group was outclassed in front of a national audience in a game with significant AFC playoff implications. Sure, there’s a silver lining in the fact that they had chances to tie things up, but fell short in a one-score game. But time is running out, and there’s little room for error from here on out if this team is to make the playoffs.
Kansas City Chiefs News
Chris Jones sends strong message to defensive teammates about Chiefs’ fatal flaw in loss to Bills — and it can’t go unheard
The Chiefs needed to get more out of their defensive line in Week 9 against the Bills. They’ll need it in the final eight games of the 2025 NFL season.
