An Open Letter to Patrick Mahomes: Questions Heading Into Week 6

Dear Patrick Mahomes,

It’s been a wild, productive near-decade with you as the Kansas City Chiefs starting quarterback. Since taking over as the starter in 2018, you have led the Chiefs to eight AFC Championship game appearances, five Super Bowl Appearances, and hoisted three Lombardi Trophies while earning the Super Bowl MVP in each of those victories. 

It’s your ninth year in the league. Despite those accolades, people doubt you and this team because of the offensive struggles over the last few years. However, the team has continued to find success in adverse situations that many teams could not overcome.

Last season, the offense lost its top receiver, Rashee Rice, early on. Running back Isiah Pacheco, who appeared to be breaking out, also suffered a setback, and the left tackle situation was a carousel throughout the season. Even then, you led this team to the Super Bowl. Although the result was disappointing, you guys went 15-2, earned the one seed, and reached the final game of the season with everything working against you.

Now that we are through five weeks of the 2025 NFL season, there are some questions that I would like to ask you about your perspective on how everything has transpired in your career, specifically the last few seasons.

The NFL is a salary cap league, making it impossible to maintain a championship-contending roster every season. How are you guys able to keep rinsing, repeating, and continuing to compete for championships annually?

For many teams and players, once they find success and win the Lombardi Trophy, they tend to become complacent and lose motivation. What keeps this group hungry every year?

There have been times in the last few years when the team had to deal with adversity for long stretches. How have those experiences helped you guys this season, as you enter Week 6 with a 2-3 record with the Detroit Lions coming into town?

The Chiefs are clearly in the midst of a dynastic run, but that does not mean everything comes easy without adversity and misfortune. However, Kansas City has continued to find a way to push through those hardships and deliver time and time again. This repeated process of finding ways to win, regardless of the circumstances, demonstrates the character and resilience of this organization since Mahomes entered the equation.

The passing attack has been struggling at times the last couple of seasons. This season, it finally feels like this offense is returning to creating explosive plays. Xavier Worthy’s arrival in the lineup seems to have unlocked the big-play component in this offense. With Rice’s return on the horizon, does it finally feel like this offense could play to its full potential?

Last season, your rapport with Rice looked so effortless. What does he do to make your job easier on a play-by-play basis?

When you have your full complement of weapons back in Week 7, could this be the best receiving corps you have been surrounded by since 2019 with Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce, and Sammy Watkins? What about this group of pass-catching options stands out to you compared to other players you have worked with?

As a Chiefs fan, it has been frustrating at times to watch the offense, but it is even more irritating when people question Mahomes’ greatness. His statistical output has not been as dominant as earlier in his career, but his ability to make monumental plays in the biggest moments is why he is still the best quarterback in the NFL. When Rice comes back, there is a chance this offense returns to a top-five unit in the league. Over the past two weeks with Worthy back in the fold, Kansas City has averaged 32.5 points per game.

Is there any extra motivation created when you hear and read what people are saying about the current state of the Chiefs? How do the players react to the criticism when it becomes a consistent narrative?

It goes without saying that the Chiefs are a dynasty, but that does not mean that the story is complete. There are still more chapters to this novel, and hopefully, this organization continues to deliver to a passionate fanbase. Mahomes’ arrival in Kansas City has brought new energy to a place that many overlook as a small market in the Midwest. As long as number 15 is the quarterback and Andy Reid is the head coach, the Chiefs should never be doubted, especially in the playoffs.

Sincerely, 

Logan Lazarczyk

Chiefs Writer, Fan Feed Network