The Chiefs are now sitting at 2-2, and the offense hasn’t looked like its old self. Monday night brings a trip to Jacksonville, where the Jaguars are 3-1 and ready for a fight. To get back in rhythm, Patrick Mahomes made a tweak to his offense. It’s bold, and it’s risky, but it might be exactly what Chiefdom needs.

So, what’s changed? Mahomes is no longer playing it safe. According to The Athletic, “Mahomes is doing more than chucking the deep ball more often this season, which has increased his average depth of target by nearly 2 yards per attempt. He’s also followed through on a vow to give his guys more chances on tight-window throws.” And the numbers actually back him up.

As per NFL’s Next Gen Stats, last season, Mahomes only threw 10.3 percent of his passes into tight windows. And just to add context—that ranked him dead last, 36th out of 36 qualifying quarterbacks. Safe? Maybe. Conservative? Absolutely. But this year looks different.

His tight-window rate has jumped to 14.1 percent, moving him all the way up to 19th out of 33 QBs. That may not sound elite, but for Mahomes, it’s a career high in his eight seasons.

More importantly, it shows he’s willing to push boundaries instead of settling for the check-down. Risky throws? Sure. But higher rewards if his guys can make the plays.

Patrick Mahomes’ tight-window percentage (last 5 years as per The Athletic):

And that’s the key—his receivers. Mahomes told them he was going to put his trust in them. “The opportunities that are there, he’s gonna throw the ball,” Smith-Schuster said in the locker room Thursday. “Let us do our thing and just make plays.” That’s the gamble. Either it opens up the offense or it backfires. But for Chiefdom, the energy is buzzing right now, because their quarterback just picked up a major AFC award too.

Patrick Mahomes earns 11th AFC Offensive Player of the Week honor

In Week 4 the Chiefs look like themselves. Patrick Mahomes gave a stunning performance, and the league office took notice. On Wednesday, the Chiefs’ QB was officially named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week. He did it in style, tossing four touchdown passes in the dominant win. What stood out? He hit four different pass-catchers on those scores, showing why this offense is never one-dimensional. That game also added another milestone to his resume—his 18th career outing with at least four touchdown throws.

But it wasn’t just about the highlight plays. Mahomes controlled the game from the jump. Kansas City scored on seven of its first eight possessions, a pace that kept Baltimore scrambling all night. That kind of rhythm is rare, and it pushed the Chiefs to their biggest blowout since the Wild Card Round back in the 2023 postseason. For Chiefdom, it felt like the old spark had returned, and the City of Fountains was buzzing again.

Now comes the bigger picture. This latest award marks the 11th Player of the Week honor of Mahomes’ career, and his first since Week 12 of last season. That says plenty about how high the bar is for him. Next up, Mahomes and the Chiefs hit the road for Monday Night Football in Jacksonville. So, the Chiefs will try to change their struggling from in Week 5.

Meanwhile, it’s not just the deep ball risk. That’s there as we read. But Patrick Mahomes is also scrambling to keep up the Chiefs’ ground game. So, the question is how long can he carry the load? Find out in our video.