Pride of Detroit
Fear not, faithful readers of our 5 Questions preview series, we’re back for another installment after a week off—it wasn’t only the Cincinnati Bengals that pulled a no-show last week. This week, we had a chance to chat with Maurice Elston, a contributor over at Arrowhead Pride, to give us some insight into the rocky start for the Kansas City Chiefs, how Patrick Mahomes’ legs are creating a different for the offense, and what the Chiefs’ defense—led by the revered Steve Spagnuolo—could have in store for the Detroit Lions on “Sunday Night Football.”
1. All discussions about the Chiefs start with their franchise quarterback, but instead of talking about Patrick Mahomes throwing the football, let’s talk about a very interesting development this season in Kansas City: he’s been more active as a runner this year, his ninth NFL season, than he has in any other season. He has 183 yards on scrambles this season, second in the NFL to only Josh Allen (195), and he’s the leading rusher for the Chiefs this season.
On one hand, that has to be somewhat of an intriguing development to make him an even more dynamic threat, but that hardly seems to be a sustainable model for success on offense moving forward. What needs to change in Kansas City for the Chiefs’ offense to return to form, which running back do you think they can turn to help on the ground, and how likely is that to happen as soon as this weekend against the Lions?
“Patrick Mahomes leading the team in rushing is not a sustainable model, and it’s certainly not what the Chiefs want to rely on long-term. Even though he had 60 yards on the ground against Jacksonville, that game also marked the most balanced rushing performance Kansas City has had this season. Between Isaiah Pacheco, Kareem Hunt, and Brashard Smith, the Chiefs ran for 89 yards on 15 carries—a strong 5.9-yard average.
If that trio can consistently combine for around 90 yards a game, the Chiefs would gladly take it. I don’t see one back taking over the workload entirely; it’ll be a true three-headed committee moving forward. Smith should continue earning more touches because of his explosiveness, but sustained balance is the real goal. That level of production would keep defenses honest and take pressure off Mahomes to carry the ground game himself.”
2. But to circle back to the passing game, Mahomes is back to slinging it deep and taking shots downfield. According to NFL Pro, has attempted deep passes (throws of 20+ air yards) on 13.1% of his passes in 2025, his highest rate since 2019.
What about the Chiefs offense this season has allowed Mahomes to be more aggressive downfield? Is his offensive line giving him more time to make those throws? Have they found the right mix of pass-catchers to do damage downfield? A change in approach to route concepts? Some combination of these factors?
*“It’s really been a combination of all those factors. The...
