The Kansas City Chiefs traded up in last year’s draft to take quarterback Patrick Mahomes. It was a move that surprised quite a few fans, but also signaled the end of Alex Smith’s tenure with the Chiefs. Sure enough, the Chiefs ended up trading Smith to the Washington Redskins this offseason.
Some fans in Kansas City are concerned about Mahomes becoming the starter. He has only started one NFL game to this point and while he played well, there are still doubts about his ability.
In his one start last year against the Denver Broncos, on the road, Mahomes completed 62.9 percent of his passes for 284 yards, no touchdowns, and one interception. Going up against the Denver defense is never an easy task, especially for a rookie in his first start. Mahomes played well enough and earned his team a 27-24 win.
Now, Mahomes believes that the young Chiefs can start a dynasty . He specifically mentions second-year running back Kareem Hunt as a partner that he can create a long term powerhouse team with.
“Kareem Hunt and I talk about building something together here. Seeing his success as a rookie and how hard he works, I’m excited to build a future with the Chiefs. With the young nucleus we have, I feel like we can have a great dynasty coming forward.”
Hunt was one of the finalists for the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award last season. Unfortunately, New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara ended up winning the award.
Patrick Mahomes thinks the 2018 goal for his #Chiefs is obvious. pic.twitter.com/xND2oWrnAW
— Arrowhead Pride (@ArrowheadPride) May 4, 2018
As a rookie, Hunt carried the football 272 times for 1,327 yards and eight touchdowns. Hunt also caught 53 passes for 455 yards and three touchdowns. Those numbers show a glimpse of how special he is capable of becoming.
Mahomes is going to be asked to carry a lot on his shoulders in his first season as the Chiefs’ starter. He will be able to lean on Hunt quite a bit, but the Chiefs put the ball in Smith’s hands a lot last season. Andy Reid may not put as much on Mahomes as he did on Smith, but they are not going to play scared of asking the young quarterback to make plays.
Kansas City may not be the first team that comes to mind when thinking of a future NFL “dynasty.” They are a quality football team, but they don’t have the star power at this point in time. Mahomes and Hunt are ready to shock the world and it will be intriguing to see what kind of start they get off to in 2018.
