Andy Reid ‘punishes’ Patrick Mahomes in a funny way if he doesn’t throw deep

His average depth of throw has steadily declined

Patrick Mahomes took the NFL by storm when he became the Kansas City Chiefs‘ starting quarterback, quickly establishing himself as a top deep-ball passer. In his first season, Mahomes led the league with 75 completions of 20 or more yards and attempted 88 such passes, completing 36.

However, defenses soon adapted to the Chiefs‘ explosive aerial attack, which led to significant changes in Mahomes‘ passing strategy.

Since 2019, his average depth of throw, deep pass rate, and explosive pass rate have steadily declined, according TruMedia. By last season, Mahomes‘ average pass distance had fallen to the third-shortest in the league, nearly three yards less than his debut season.

Reid pushing Mahomes

Recognizing the need to leverage Mahomes‘ deep-passing abilities more effectively, Coach Andy Reid is keen to bring back the deep-ball threat. Reports suggest Reid has been pushing Mahomes to throw deep more frequently during practices.

“If I don’t, he throws little jabs at me like, ‘Oh, you want to throw the checkdown here?”’ Mahomes said according to ESPN.

“I’m like, ‘I got you, Coach; we’re going to push it.’ It has been fun.”

Mahomes is known for his remarkable ability to make virtually any throw. While he has adapted to the shorter passing game and led the Chiefs to two Super Bowl victories, it is clear that a return to more frequent deep throws would better utilize his skill set.