Patrick Mahomes Backs Disappointing Chiefs Bust After Preseason Finale

Patrick Mahomes has seen it all during his time as the starting quarterback of the Kansas City Chiefs. This offense has been so potent since he took over for Alex Smith that opponents have been forced to try things outside of their comfort zone to give Mahomes a look he might not be prepared for.

As fans and media alike know, the rest of the league has had very little success with those endeavors. Mahomes has already put together a first-ballot Hall of Fame career if he were to decide to step away from the game for good before playing another game.

Fortunately, he isn't going anywhere anytime soon. His recent comments regarding two of the young offensive linemen protecting him up front just reinforce how much faith he has in this franchise and its coaching staff to continue to have the Chiefs in position to compete for Super Bowl championships.

Mahomes Backs Chiefs OT Kingsley Suamataia After Preseason Finale

While some outside of the organization have already placed the dreaded "bust" label on second-year offensive guard Kinglsey Suamataia, Kansas City's franchise QB has a much different view of the 22-year-old. He shared those thoughts following the Chiefs' preseason finale against the Chicago Bears on Friday night.

"Yeah, I thought they (Kingsley Suamataia and Josh Simmons) stepped up and did a lot of great things," Mahomes said of the young offensive linemen, via Ed Easton Jr. of USA TODAY. "We challenged them all camp, and we gave them the hardest (challenge) they can get (in) going against Spags (defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo) and putting them in one-on-one situations – and they learned and got better and better."

Mahomes made it clear that those learning experiences must continue, though, for Suamataia and Simmons to reach their full potential. There will be ups and downs for them, just like any other young player entering the NFL at a position as important as offensive line, but the former MVP seems quite confident that they will continue to develop and become the best version of themselves on the field.

"They have to continue to take steps in the right direction, and they've done that. And so, there'll be mistakes every once in a while, (but) that's part of it, that's part of playing in the NFL, but it's how you respond, and I'm excited for these guys to be challenged and then go out there and show who they are."

With the issues that Kansas City had along the offensive line this past season, having both Simmons and Suamataia performing at a high level will only help keep Mahomes from running for his life in order to get a pass attempt off.