Mahomes: Chiefs will push ball downfield in ’24

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A priority for the Chiefs during the offseason is to increase their number of big pass plays.

They signed one fast wide receiver, Marquise Brown, and drafted another, Xavier Worthy, in the first round. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes said coach Andy Reid is encouraging him to push the ball down the field more often.

“If I don’t, he throws little jabs at me like, ‘Oh, you want to throw the checkdown here?”’ Mahomes said as the Chiefs concluded their offseason practices. “I’m like, ‘I got you, Coach; we’re going to push it.’ It has been fun.”

Mahomes has always seemed unaffected when he throws an interception or is fooled by defensive coverage on a particular play. But he said he’s better than ever now at putting negative plays behind him.

“This is probably the most comfortable I think I’ve felt of just being able to not let something affect me,” he said. “When you go up against [Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo in practice], you’re not going to be right 100% of the time, and there’s been times where I’ve lost on blitzes and Spags gets me with the new pressure that he’s working on, and I think it’s just being able to get the ball out of my hand, get it to the checkdown or wherever that is and then live to play another play.”

The Chiefs have the ceremony to receive their Super Bowl LVIII championship rings scheduled for Thursday night. Mahomes said the ceremony, which the Chiefs held at the same point of the offseason last year for their Super Bowl LVII title, serves as the official finish to the 2023 season.

Once the Chiefs get to training camp next month, he said, it’s all about 2024 and trying to become the first NFL team to win three straight championships in the Super Bowl era.

“You have to come in knowing that we’re going to get everybody’s best shot,” he said. “We know that, but at the same time, I think we were a young team last year and we kind of grew up as the season went on, and I think this year you have to learn from those mistakes you made last year.

“It is a brand-new season. I’ve dealt with it a couple times now, and we know it’s going to be, every week, it’s going to be a big week. We start off with some great opponents early in the season.”

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