Chiefs Need to Fix 1 Problem for Patrick Mahomes in 2026

The Kansas City Chiefs didn’t look anything like themselves during the 2025-26 season, and for the first time in the Patrick Mahomes era, they didn’t make it to the playoffs. It hurt, but now, this team has to look ahead, and they’re doing so as they craft a new squad during the offseason.

For Mahomes, the Chiefs owe it to their quarterback to help him convert deep throws into completed passes and, ultimately, scores.

In a Tuesday, May 12 piece about each NFL team’s biggest weakness at this point in the season, Christian D’Andrea of USA Today’s For the Win says that the Chiefs have to “turn deep throws into big gains” in the coming season.

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“Yards after catch are a superboost for quarterbacks,” she states in the piece. “While the Chiefs’ 5.8 yards after catch per reception were fourth best in the NFL, their eight yards after catch over expected across the entire season was the worst mark in the NFL.”

She adds: “Patrick Mahomes threw deep more than he had since 2020 but had the most frustrating season of his career because those downfield connections weren’t reliable. Even when they were there, they lacked the ‘explode to the end zone’ juice Tyreek Hill once had in this offense.”

My Analysis: Help Patrick Mahomes in 2026

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Mahomes was notably, and understandably, flustered during the 2025-26 season. He can’t do it all, and the Chiefs have to get him adequate help on offense in 2026. Mahomes has accurate deep throws, but if he doesn’t have the guys to catch them, then it ends up being a situation like what happened to the Chiefs in 2025. Adding Kenneth Walker III will help on the running back end, but let’s hope this team converts some deep throws to receivers this time around.

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This story was originally published May 14, 2026 at 9:27 AM.