They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, but if you ask Chris Canty, absence will show “just how bad the Kansas City Chiefs are” and how they took Patrick Mahomes “for granted.”
The former NFL defensive lineman and current ESPN analyst lambasted the Chiefs for their failure to protect Mahomes this season after the quarterback’s season-ending ACL injury that he suffered in their loss Sunday to the Chargers.
Mahomes, 30, underwent surgery on Monday, and the question remains how ready he’ll be when next year rolls around.
“This year highlights the malpractice that has gone on within that franchise over the last several years. They have taken the greatness of Patrick Mahomes for granted,” Canty said during “First Take” on Tuesday.
“We’re about to find out just how bad the Kansas City Chiefs are during these final three weeks of the regular season,” Canty continued as he paraphrased FS1 host Nick Wright. “They have not protected the franchise, which is Patrick Mahomes. This year, Patrick Mahomes is the second-most contacted quarterback. Over the last three years, no quarterback has been hit more on dropbacks than Patrick Mahomes.
“During that same span, their receivers lead the league in drops, and they’re 22nd in rushing. So you mean to tell me that your quarterback doesn’t have any protection? Your quarterback doesn’t have reliable receivers and you have no reliable running game to lean on.”
The former Giant didn’t stop there as he continued to attack the way the Chiefs have built a team around Mahomes.
“Everybody that’s in charge in decision-making power in Kansas City needs to look themselves in the mirror and they need to get serious about trying to do right by Patrick Mahomes by fortifying that roster and putting a better supporting cast around him,” he added. “Until they do, we will look at one of the greatest talents that we’ve seen at the quarterback position in NFL history and wonder why he can’t get back to the level that we saw him at through the first seven years of his career.”
Mahomes’ injury could be more complicated than originally thought after it was reported Monday that he had torn his LCL as well as his ACL.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
