The scenario felt familiar enough. Up 7-3 and driving, the Chiefs appeared poised to find the next gear and leave the Washington Football Team in the rear-view for good. Deep in WFT territory, Mahomes took the snap, rolled to the right and spotted Tyreek Hill just a few yards short of the end zone. Mahomes fired, Hill reached out … this was going to end in yet another KC TD, right?
Wrong. The ball ticked off Hill’s yellow gloves and right into the hands of Washington’s Kendall Fuller. For the seventh time this season, an INT went on Mahomes’ ledger, more than all of 2020.
That didn’t sit so well with one very interested onlooker:
Ok PEOPLE that should not be an interception on the QB… that should be a fumble or anything else.. just putting it out there.. GO CHIEFS..
— Randi Mahomes (@tootgail) October 17, 2021
Yep, that’s Patrick’s mom Randi, offering up her perspective on who should take the blame when the ball ends up in the hands of the opposition. It’s not unlike giving a bad Yelp review to a restaurant when the delivery driver screws up and brings the food two hours late … the restaurant did everything right, but still takes the hit for matters outside its control.
Randi Mahomes is literally the most biased observer possible, but she’s also not completely wrong. Well … she’s probably not going to get her wish that the NFL start blaming receivers for missed catches that end up interceptions. But she is correct that this isn’t solely her son’s fault.
Yes, Mahomes already had seven INTs this season after that throw (he added another INT later in the game), but the Kansas City Star’s Sam McDowell noted that all interceptions are not created equal:
Mahomes has 7 INT
— Sam McDowell (@SamMcDowell11) October 17, 2021
–2 through Tyreek Hill's arms
–1 off Marcus Kemp's shoulder pads
–1 by a defensive lineman on a quick pass
–3 desperate 3rd-down heaves to avoid pressure/punts
I get that the total number is alarming. The full picture is not. https://t.co/FTG8kXaDTu
This isn’t a case of QB wins, where a quarterback’s win total can be a highly deceptive and inaccurate barometer of that quarterback’s value and quality. Interceptions are often very much the quarterback’s fault. But at least in Mahomes’ case, quite a few aren’t … and some of the others are understandable. No need to panic just yet, KC fans.
(The Chiefs eventually cruised to a 31-13 victory.)
Now, if we could just convince fantasy leagues to reapportion the blame for interceptions …
Be First to Comment