Patrick Mahomes Takes Blame for Chiefs' Struggles vs. Buccaneers in Super Bowl 55

While most have laid the blame on the Kansas City Chiefs' tattered offensive line for Patrick Mahomes' poor performance in Super Bowl LV, the quarterback sees things differently.

Mahomes told Kevin Clark of The Ringer that the blame falls squarely on his shoulders after rewatching the game tape.

“Sometimes, when I get hit early, I don’t trust staying in the pocket and going through my reads," Mahomes said. "I kind of get back to that backyard-style football a little bit too much. And you could definitely see that in the Super Bowl. I mean, there were times that pockets were clean and I was still scrambling."

Playing without both starting tackles and with Mahomes struggling with a toe injury, the 2019 NFL MVP turned in the worst performance of his career against a swarming Buccaneers defense. 

Mahomes threw for 270 yards and two interceptions, being held without a touchdown for the first time in his career. The Chiefs' 31-9 loss was also the first time Mahomes has lost a game by more than one score as a starter. 

While Mahomes is correct in noting he made mistakes, the line did not give him much reason for confidence. Tampa was in the backfield as soon as the ball was snapped from the opening whistle until the clock struck zero; any quarterback would have tried to play a  little hero ball. 

Kansas City revamped its offensive line this offseason, trading a first-round pick for Orlando Brown, signing Joe Thuney in free agency and drafting Creed Humphrey in the second round.

"They brought in a bunch of great guys who love the game of football and who play this game very emotionally," Brown said last month. "We're all emotionally invested in each other, in the game and in this team…I'm super excited to get to work. It's time to prove it as opposed to talking about it, but I'm excited."