Patrick Mahomes Shares Scary Thought About Chiefs Offense After Week 8
After the Kansas City Chiefs routed the Washington Commanders on Monday Night Football, quarterback Patrick Mahomes shared a simple thought about the current KC offense entering Week 9, and it should terrify the rest of the NFL.
While talking about bouncing back from penalties to finish drives and consistently put points on the board, Mahomes revealed the following.
“It speaks to the mindset [that] this team has,” the Chiefs QB said during his Week 8 postgame press conference. “That’s kind of the mindset that I had early in my career — that the penalties weren’t going to affect us, we were going to go out there and score no matter what.”
As a reminder, earlier in his career, Mahomes led one of the most prolific offenses in the NFL year after year, including two 5,000-yard passing seasons and one campaign with 50 passing touchdowns in 2018.
Mahomes is not quite on that sort of pace in 2025, but he has only just gotten his full complement of playmakers back, with star wide receiver Rashee Rice returning in Week 7. Needless to say, if he and this current KC offense can mirror 2018 down the stretch, that’s a scary thought for the rest of the league.
Chiefs Offense Turns It Up a Notch in the Second Half in Week 8 as Patrick Mahomes & Co. Match Commanders’ Energy
After the game, Mahomes admitted that he felt the Chiefs’ offense didn’t match the Commanders’ energy in the first half of the Week 8 Monday Night Football outing. That’s fair, considering it was a 7-7 scoreline entering the break.
From there, Kansas City promptly closed the game out with 21 unanswered points and three Mahomes passing touchdowns.
“When we got in the locker room [at halftime], we just talked about executing, you know?” Mahomes told reporters. “Sometimes you want to press and make stuff happen, especially in a big game like Monday Night Football… They had more energy than we did; their defense versus our offense, and so we had to match their energy and execute at a higher level. And we were able to do that in the second half. It started off with that first drive, and then we kind of continued that momentum through the rest of the second half.”
The Chiefs’ offense really displayed its true potential in quarters three and four, facing the Commanders.
Whether it was Travis Kelce getting loose in the secondary, Rice gashing the opposition, Isiah Pacheco hammering the defensive front, Kareem Hunt leaking out in the passing game, or Xavier Worthy bringing his speed element, KC was firing on all cylinders.
And they didn’t even utilize a couple of early-season playmakers like Hollywood Brown and Tyquan Thornton all that much.
This Chiefs offense is more diverse and more dynamic than it has been in a long time, and more than anything else, that speaks volumes. Mahomes sees it, and soon the rest of the NFL will, too.
Chiefs’ Offensive Leaders in Week 8
GettyKansas City Chiefs veteran playmakers Kareem Hunt (left) and Travis Kelce (right) celebrate a touchdown in Week 8.
Kelce led the way in receiving yards in Week 8, finishing just 1 yard shy of 100 (6 for 99). He also caught a historic touchdown to add to his Hall of Fame career.
After a somewhat slow start in the first half, Rice nearly matched Kelce in yardage by the end of the game, with 93 receiving yards off 9 catches. Rice also notched another TD.
Worthy was next with 5 catches for 53 yards, and veteran JuJu Smith-Schuster got on the board with 2 receptions for 29 yards, as did backup tight end Noah Gray (2 for 23).
Finally, Pacheco rushed for 58 yards on 12 carries, while Hunt added 40 rushing yards on 9 carries. Hunt finished with 2 touchdowns in this outing, 1 rushing and 1 receiving, and Mahomes finished with 299 passing yards and 3 touchdowns despite 2 early interceptions.
The Chiefs’ next matchup is a big one, as Kansas City will head to northern New York to face the AFC rival Buffalo Bills in enemy territory.
Red Sox Fans May Not Have To Worry About Trevor Story
The entire left side of the Boston Red Sox's infield is completely up in the air right now, despite a great 2025 season that saw the organization get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2021.
The left side of the infield played a massive role. Alex Bregman came over and secured third base. There's been plenty said about him, and plenty more to come with a reported opt-out coming. But, he isn't the only one. Trevor Story had a comeback season for the ages for Boston. After three injury-filled seasons in Boston, Story was healthy and thrived.
Now, he has a decision to make. He could try to parlay the 2025 season into a new deal in free agency, or opt into the final two years and $55 million of his six-year, $140 million pact. If he sticks around, it would just make everything easier for Boston. A decision hasn't been announced, but Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com provided positive insight into the Red Sox's current thinking
"As has been well-documented, shortstop Trevor Story and third baseman Alex Bregman can both opt out of their contracts and become free agents," Cotillo said. "Those decisions are due on Day 5 after the World Series.
"The Red Sox have not been formally informed Bregman is opting out but sources say all parties are still operating under the assumption that he will, as expected, trigger that clause and hit free agency instead of returning for a (deferred) $40 million salary in 2026. Boston decision makers are — cautiously — quite optimistic that Story will opt in and play out the remaining two years and $55 million on his deal. That choice hasn’t been formalized either."
The Red Sox should be hoping Trevor Story opts in
With the way that Story played in 2025, that's a bargain. Story played in 157 games for the Red Sox and hit 25 home runs, drove in 96 runs, stole 31 bases, had 29 doubles, scored 91 runs, and slashed .263/.308/.433. It was his best season in a Red Sox jersey and his best overall since at least 2021 with the Colorado Rockies.
If he were to opt into the deal, it would make Boston's life much easier. Having Story secured would allow the team know how much money they obviously have owed to him, and therefore plan elsewhere. Plus, he's an All-Star-level talent who could play either middle infield position at a high level. He already showed how much he can impact this team when he is at his best.
When the Red Sox's offense struggled down the stretch with the losses of guys like Roman Anthony and Wilyer Abreu and Bregman slumping, Story was the guy that carried Boston's offense. From August 12th through the end of the regular season, Story slashed .287/.331/.473 with seven homers, 23 RBIs, and 12 stolen bases in 41 games.
Boston fans finally got a look at Story thriving on the field, but he's been an important leader throughout his entire run with the team, even when injured. For example, Story has hosted "Story Camp," where he has tried to take some of the young guys under his wing over the years. Story is the real deal and Boston should absolutely be hoping he opts in.
