ChiefsPlanet - Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs have a Patrick Mahomes sized gap at quarterback

https://www.isportsweb.com/2017/11/1...p-quarterback/

November 19, 2017 by Andrew Reitzes

It is finally Patrick Mahomes time in Kansas City.

Whether veteran quarterback and former MVP-favorite Alex Smith, will actually be benched by the Kansas City Chiefs in favor of Mahomes is irrelevant. But, with the Chiefs sputtering and having lost four of their last five, there is no better time to make a change at the quarterback position. Making a change will probably not turn around the season, or make the Chiefs any more formidable in the postseason (if they get there), but it will salvage the team’s future.

There are a myriad of reasons to bench Smith after the Chiefs’ surprise 12-9 loss to the New York Giants on Sunday. The first is performance based. The Chiefs defense against the Giants was spectacular. They allowed just nine points in regulation, and forced four three-and-outs on the day. They held up well in the red zone, and generally limited the Giants when they were given good field position.

However, Smith was unable to capitalize on his team’s best defensive performance of the season. On the day he had two interceptions, and nearly had a third that was called back for pass interference. While he did complete 67.5% of his passes, and ended up with a respectable 61.5 quarterback rating, he appeared affected by the weather for most of the day. Of his 27 completions, seven of them came to running backs, and many of those attempts were checkdowns that were unnecessarily forced to receivers blanketed in coverage. Unlike earlier in the season, Smith was afraid to take shots down the middle of the field, and never really looked comfortable in the pocket when under pressure.

In addition, Smith is beginning to follow a trend established last season, where he struggles in colder weather. Against the Giants and dealing with heavy winds, Smith threw numerous passes that landed well short of their intended receivers. Last season, much like this season, Smith dominated the months of September and October. In those warmer weather months, he had only two interceptions against eight touchdowns, while he had six interceptions during the months of November, December, and January. And that trend is continuing on into this season, where he now has three interceptions this month, compared to zero in the previous two months.

The second reason for benching Smith, is to preserve his trade value. With the team sputtering, making a quarterback change just to shake up the offense, is entirely justified. In fact, Smith was benched by the San Francisco 49ers in favor of Colin Kaepernick in 2012, for very much the same reason. Much like in 2012, Smith has very favorable statistics, and on the surface a benching would not appear justified. Given these reasons, other teams would not be concerned with Smith losing his job to Mahomes. If the Chiefs truly believe that Smith has been exposed as a player, benching him now under one of the mentioned narratives, would prevent other teams from being concerned about trading for him in the offseason.

The third reason to bench Smith, is because the Chiefs’ season is looking bleak. With star safety Eric Berry out for the season, and linebackers Dee Ford and Tamba Hali missing significant time due to injury, the odds are against the team making a significant run this season. If they are hoping to contend in future seasons, giving Mahomes exposure now in a season that could still very well result in a playoff appearance, would do wonders for improving his composure and maturity.

For much of this season, Alex Smith has not been the problem for the Chiefs. He has been more aggressive than in past seasons, and he has been great in limiting turnovers. However, on Sunday he was tentative to the point where he was making poor decisions on where to throw the football, and he was preventing the Chiefs’ offense from gaining any momentum. While his performance this season may have justified a longer look before considering a quarterback change, given his history of not taking risks, its finally time to ask whether his performance at the beginning of the season was a mirage. Only time will tell, but with a strong-armed, and decisive quarterback in Patrick Mahomes, sitting on the bench, the question definitely must be asked.