For the fifth time this season, the Denver Broncos put together a fourth-quarter comeback, and for the fifth time this season, the Kansas City Chiefs fell. With a 5-5 win-loss record, the Chiefs have barely impressed anyone, especially after their 22-19 defeat to the Broncos. But if podcaster and sportswriter Bill Simmons is to be believed, quarterback Patrick Mahomes is the reason for their woes.

“Patrick Mahomes blew a fourth-quarter lead in a must-win road game and got outplayed by Bo ‘Freaking’ Nix,” Simmons said in his latest YouTube video. “It was such a huge game for KC. They are 5-5. It’s nuts.

“I just don’t think [Mahomes] is playing that well. He had in the first half. He had open guys that he just missed. But then, the red zone stuff has been weird, too. Like, that interception he threw today was like a scrub quarterback interception.”

Here’s the thing: The quarterback missed multiple throws. He took responsibility for that as well as for a third-quarter interception in the red zone by Denver cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian.

The signal-caller had two interceptions on 105 pass attempts inside the 20-yard line in 2024. He already has two on 63 attempts this season, and perhaps the reason he doesn’t have a third one is that the interception by McMillian on Sunday came on a play that started at the Denver 21-yard line.

In the end, the signal-caller completed 29-of-45 passes for 276 yards with one touchdown and an interception. Mahomes wasn’t awful on paper. But for a player built on impossible throws and calm chaos, the mistakes stood out.

He had missed two passes on the Chiefs’ opening drive of the game. First, he missed WR Xavier Worthy on a deep ball that could have been a touchdown. Next, he also failed to connect with WR Tyquan Thornton on a long pass on third-and-10.

Simmons believes Mahomes is simply not playing like he used to.

“[The Chiefs] haven’t looked right all year. You can’t blame the weapons because he has weapons. These guys are good receivers. [Mahomes] certainly has better weapons than Buffalo does.

“I don’t think their offensive line is that good. They just don’t look right to me. And I think they are running out of time,” Simmons ended.

All that said, what did Chiefs head coach Andy Reid say about the mistakes?

Andy Reid points fingers at Patrick Mahomes

Kansas City’s run game pretty much vanished against Denver. With Isiah Pacheco out nursing a knee injury, Kareem Hunt was the lone back to touch the ball, carrying 13 times for 59 yards and a score. Meanwhile, Mahomes dropped back 45 times and ran only once, collecting three rushing yards in the process. And Andy Reid insisted afterward that the issue wasn’t a lack of intent.

“We’re calling quite a few of the RPOs. They were giving us opportunities to throw the football, so we utilized the opportunities there. And those things end up being as good as a run for either. We’re getting four-plus yards, and you go with it, but the runs are being called. It’s just, you know, sometimes they get turned into passes in today’s world,” Reid said.

In an offense that lives on Mahomes’ arm, RPOs are going to tilt toward the air when defenses invite it. But Kansas City hasn’t exactly been balanced even when Pacheco was healthy. Mahomes has run less this season: 48 carries for 288 yards, roughly six attempts per game. The Chiefs sit 16th in rushing yards per game at 115.3.

Some of the issue lies with the offensive line, which hasn’t been as steady as in recent years. Another part is defense, which is forcing Mahomes to be patient, knowing he prefers to win with his arm. But against Denver, the lack of a dependable run game proved costly.

The Chiefs are entering the most critical stretch of their season, and they can’t afford to remain this one-dimensional.