Patrick Mahomes boasts an impressive NFL career, particularly in the postseason, with five consecutive AFC title games, three conference championships, two Super Bowl titles, and even a shattered helmet.
However, this Sunday night brings a new challenge for Mahomes as he leads the Kansas City Chiefs into Buffalo for the divisional round of the playoffs.
It marks the first time in his 15 postseason games that Mahomes will be playing away from Arrowhead Stadium or the Super Bowl.
Reflecting on the unusual situation, Mahomes remarked, “It kind of is what it is. I’ve been lucky enough to play a lot of games at home, at Arrowhead Stadium, and things have fallen that way.
Now we get to go on the road to a hostile environment, and one I have not played in with fans in the stands. But it’s what you want to do when you grow up watching these games.”
The Chiefs’ road journey is a result of a rare offensive offside penalty in their regular-season game against Buffalo, altering their seeding. Despite this, Mahomes’ statistics suggest that playing away from home might not be a disadvantage for him.
Throughout his career, he has shown a higher completion percentage, more yards per game, and a significantly better quarterback rating in road games.
Mahomes attributes this road success to Coach Andy Reid’s emphasis on communication. “You have to have nonverbal communication when you’re on the road. We preach that,” explained Mahomes, highlighting the importance of maintaining a balanced mindset regardless of the game’s outcome.
The quarterback’s performance in the divisional round is particularly noteworthy, boasting a 5-0 record with 11 touchdowns, no interceptions, and a completion rate of 70%, surpassing his career average. Head Coach Reid expressed confidence in Mahomes, stating, “I know he looks forward to playing. He gets fired up for every game.”
While Mahomes has been a challenge for the Bills, especially in the postseason, he acknowledges the tough competition. “The Bills are a great challenge. I think everybody understands that,” he said. “They’ve gotten my number a number of times. They beat us earlier this year. We know we’ll have to play great football to win the game. It’s not about ending their season for us. It’s about advancing. Finding a way to get to the next round.”
NFL’s Peacock Gamble: Saturday Night Chiefs Game Costs League 10-12 Million Viewers…
REPORT: NFL Shed 10-12 Million Viewers on Saturday Night Due to Airing Kansas City Chiefs Game on Peacock
The NFL’s choice to broadcast the Kansas City Chiefs’ game against the Miami Dolphins on Peacock this past Saturday adversely impacted their viewership, causing a significant loss of millions of fans. Fans expressed dissatisfaction with the league’s decision to air a playoff game on an over-the-top streaming service rather than on a traditional TV network.
Peter King, a partner at NBC, asserted this week that the league intentionally selected Peacock for the Chiefs/Dolphins game due to the playoff hype surrounding both teams, believing that over-the-top streaming services represent the future of football watching.
However, available data suggests that both the league and Peacock have substantial ground to cover before reaching this envisioned future.
The NFL experienced a substantial drop in viewership on Saturday.
Sports Illustrated’s Jimmy Traina reports that the league likely lost between 10-12 million viewers for the Dolphins/Chiefs game by choosing to air it on Peacock outside of Kansas City and Miami.
The Chiefs/Dolphins match marked the lowest ratings for the Super Wild Card weekend, with the Browns/Texans matchup attracting six million more viewers than the prime-time game in Kansas City.
Sunday broadcasts on national TV recorded the highest ratings. The league should reconsider its strategy of pushing fans toward streaming services, given the second-lowest ratings occurred with the Buccaneers/Eagles game on ESPN, a cable network.
The NFL typically schedules most games on national networks, as that’s where the majority of fans tune in. The challenge with expanding to additional games on over-the-top streaming services is the potential burden on fans. While one subscription to Peacock might not pose a significant issue for the average fan, questions arise about whether the league will permit CBS to air games on Paramount Plus, or if Fox and Disney (ABC/ESPN) will also join the streaming landscape.
Although the league can absorb the cost of one game and anticipated a viewership dip on Saturday night, there’s a risk of compromising long-term growth potential by alienating a broader fan base. The largest fan base traditionally watches games on national TV.
Leave a Reply