The Chiefs made an in-game move Friday to provide better protection for quarterback Patrick Mahomes in a 19-17 win over the Raiders.
It was absolutely necessary as Mahomes was sacked five times and pressured throughout the game.
Fans watching on Amazon Prime or Channel 41 saw Wanya Morris struggle against the Raiders’ pass rushers, and hoped a new player would be at left tackle this coming Sunday against the Chargers.
The Chiefs signed former Pro Bowl left tackle D.J. Humphries late last month to solidify that part of the offensive line. One might think Mahomes, who was visibly angry during the win over the Raiders, would be champing at the bit to have Humphries take over the starting spot.
But during his weekly chat Tuesday on 96.5 The Fan, Mahomes said he understands why it could take time to get Humphries up to speed. Nevertheless, Mahomes said he likes what he’s seen from the left tackle.
Humphries, who played eight seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, is coming off a torn ACL in his knee. But he’s helping the Chiefs on and off the field.
“I think more than anything you just want to get him comfortable,” Mahomes said. “I mean, he has to get comfortable within the offense. He has to get comfortable physically. I mean, coming back from injury and getting those reps and stuff like that without having practice in training camp, and he’s doing that, man. He’s a true pro. He’s not only working himself back into shape, but he’s helping other guys as well.
“And so whenever he’s ready, he’ll have opportunities to go out there, but until then, we’re going to let these guys roll. And we have full belief that the guys that are out there are going to make it happen.”
Mahomes was asked about the challenges of making a change at a key position this late in the season.
The reason for Mahomes’ optimism that the Chiefs will be fine? Coach Andy Reid.
“I think, more than anything, I think coach Reid just does a great job of just maximizing guys’ strengths,” Mahomes said. “And no matter who’s in there at whatever position, not even offensive line, just in general, he does a good job of game-planning to that and executing at that level.
“And you watch the games and you watch the tape, I mean, at the time it seems like it’s bad out there, and we’re not scoring the points we want to score, but it’s just a play here and there that we’re not executing. And I thought we did a lot of great things throughout the entire game against the Raiders. We just didn’t execute in the red zone in some critical situations. And so if you can execute in those critical situations, you score more points, and then you’re not talking about what you can and can’t do better.”
