Kansas City Chiefs counting on Patrick Mahomes’ special relationship to avoid unwanted perfect start jinx

The Kansas City Chiefs are the only unbeaten team left in the NFL… again.

Andy Reid's back-to-back Super Bowl champions are chasing a historic three-peat and at 6-0, have made the perfect start this season.

That's despite injuries that have decimated their wide receiver room and forced the Chiefs to make a huge trade for DeAndre Hopkins, who is set to play his first game on Sunday.

And then there's Patrick Mahomes.

Long regarded as the best player in the NFL, he has struggled this season.

That seems silly to say, given the Chiefs are 6-0, but his performance has been put under the spotlight.

Against the San Francisco 49ers in week 7, Mahomes posted two interceptions and no touchdowns.

So far in 2024, he has eight INTs and six TDs - his interception total leads the league alongside Green Bay's Jordan Love and Las Vegas Raiders' Gardner Minshew.

While his statline currently resembles that of a struggling quarterback rather than a two-time MVP, the Chiefs keep on rolling.

And, as Mahomes himself says, that's a testament to the team built around him.

"There's been a lot of turnovers, especially by me. I think it's just showing the versatility of our team," Mahomes admitted after the 28-18 win against the 49ers.

"It's not just about me. It's not just about the stats and the light show and stuff like that. It's about playing team football and I believe that if we continue to work we'll get better offensively throwing the ball down the field.''

Part of Kansas City's success - and untouchable team spirit - could be the bond between their players and coaching staff.

Mahomes and offensive coordinator Matt Nagy are a different kind of close. That was summed up last week, when the quarterback and a couple of his teammates spent their Friday night at a high school football game, two days ahead of their Super Bowl rematch.

Under the Friday night lights in Blue Valley, Mahomes, defensive tackle Chris Jones and Andy Reid were all seen supporting Nagy and his family.

Nagy's son, Tate, is the starting quarterback for Blue Valley West.

That night, he was going up against the son of Kansas City's DB coach Dave Merritt.

Dawson, an Alabama commit, is a linebacker for Blue Valley.

The younger Nagy is a Kansas commit.

In front of the Kansas City stars in the stands, Nagy led Blue Valley West to a thrilling 35-34 victory.

Nagy later appeared on The Adam Schefter Podcast to talk about his special relationship with Mahomes.

“I think people are starting to realize how humanized he is,” Nagy said.

“He's such a down-to-earth person and so for someone to be that big of an icon across this world, not just the country, he's just so down-to-earth and it's been documented. 

“I brought this up to other people, you know I have four boys and I'm just so appreciative of how he is with my kids and their sports, activities, football, you know, coming to their games and just watching them play. 

"This is a real little thing that I noticed about Pat that some people do it just to do it and I think Pat he'll get detailed, he knows every one of their names. 

"He asked about how they're doing in school, how they're doing off the field, how they're doing on the field and then he comes and supports them.

“That's rare. That's not normal.”

Nagy is right. It is rare, it isn't normal.

Someone of Mahomes' stature, to be showing up to high school football games, taking a legitimate interest and liking to Nagy's sons, it's easy to see why these two have had so much success working together.

Outside of Nagy's four-year stint as head coach of the Chicago Bears between 2018-2021, he has been by Mahomes' side every step of the way, including the last two Super Bowl victories.

Building relationships like these suggest that the Chiefs will be on a solid path to a third-straight world championship.

At 6-0, they are favourites to go all the way again. But that record could also be a bad omen.

This season marks the it third time under Reid that the Chiefs are the last undefeated team - that also happened in 2013 and 2017.

However they were beaten in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs in those two occurrences, first by the Indianapolis Colts in a 45-44 thriller, then by the Tennessee Titans four years later.

In fact, the last undefeated team has only won the Super Bowl 10 times out of 58, the most recent being the 2006 Colts.

Perhaps, then, the Chiefs will have to buck the trend to be crowned world champions once more. But given they are still unbeaten with an "under-performing" quarterback, they may already be doing that.