Chiefs QB grades: What to make of Patrick Mahomes up-and-down Sunday?

The AFC West leaders escaped Denver Sunday with a victory. But Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes had a rollercoaster afternoon.

Obviously, a win is a win. And when it comes to the Kansas City Chiefs, defeating the Denver Broncos has been somewhat of an afterthought as of late. Sunday’s 34-28 victory by Andy Reid’s team in the Mile High City was the club’s 14th consecutive triumph over its longtime AFC West rivalry. It also marked the Chiefs’ eight straight win at Denver dating back to the 2015 season.

Thanks to a pair of Harrison Butker field goals, two Patrick Mahomes’ touchdown passes to Jerick McKinnon and a 47-yard interception return for a score of an errant Russell Wilson throw by linebacker Willie Gay Jr., Reid’s club built an impressive 27-0 second-quarter lead.

Chiefs: Patrick Mahomes day took a turn for the worse

But late in the same quarter, Mahomes threw interceptions on consecutive possessions that set up two Denver touchdowns, narrowing the Chiefs’ lead to 27-14. Kansas City’s lead would dwindle to six points but Mahomes would come up with another TD pass to a 13-point lead.

With the score 34-28, he would serve up a third pick in the fourth quarter – giving the Broncos a shot at stealing the game. Cornerback L’Jarius Sneed returned the favor by intercepting Broncos’ quarterback Brett Rypien – in place of Russell Wilson (concussion) – enabling Reid’s squad to run out the clock and securing Kansas City’s 10th win of 2022.

Mahomes finished the afternoon hitting on 28-of-42 throws for 352 yards, three scores and an equal amount of interceptions. He was also sacked twice. It brought back a memory or two of his 2021 performance when he finished with 17 of the Chiefs’ 25 turnovers. However, Sunday’s performance seemed more like an outlier than a season-long issue. Still, he made things interesting for both the Chiefs and Broncos this past weekend.