Jaguars' Doug Pederson mentions underrated skill of Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes

Justin Churchill — College Football & NFL Trending News Writer

Sep 14, 2023 12:59 PM EDT

We all know the things that Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is good at. He isn't bad at anything, but there are certain things he could be better at. However, there are also things that Mahomes is sneakily good at.

We have seen this quarterback do unimaginable things, like roll his ankle so badly he can barely walk, come back into the game, and lead the Chiefs to a win. Oh, and that was against the team the Chiefs play this weekend.

So, they are very aware of what Mahomes brings to the table and will see him Sunday on his birthday.

Jaguars HC knows what Chiefs' Mahomes does well

Doug Pederson is one of the better coaches in the league. He is a top-five coach easily, maybe even top three behind Andy Reid and the guy in New England who has won six Super Bowls.

Though Pederson was once an understudy of Reid, the two are still very good friends. So not only will Pederson know a bit of what Reid likes to do, but he also knows what Mahomes likes to do.

"Currently, he's probably the number one guy to get on the ground. He's so elusive; either the ball is coming out quick or he has the ability to make guys miss and extend plays. That's a challenge, that's hard," Pederson told the media on Wednesday before their matchup with the Chiefs.

"There's been some good ones that can do that, but he right now currently is probably the best at it. Plus, he has great vision down the field once he's outside the pocket, too. His guys do a nice job in the scramble drill as we call it. They do a great job of working for him down the field. He's very hard to get on the ground."

That is one of the more underrated things Mahomes is good at – his elusiveness. It doesn't get talked about a lot, but he is hard to bring down not only outside the pocket but also in the pocket.

Mahomes posted an 81.6% adjusted completion percentage from a clean pocket, per Pro Football Focus, which is another way of saying that he makes things happen when he isn't pressured. He isn't pressured as often because of his offensive line but because he has great awareness and elusiveness inside the pocket.

You know his footwork improvement is vastly different when you watch the tape from his first year as a full-time starter. It's improved big time. That was his biggest flaw coming into the league, and he has fixed it.

Now, coaches are calling it out as a strength. The Chiefs will see if they can repeat history.