It seemed impossible, but Patrick Mahomes played worse at points than Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love on Sunday.
Entering this season, the big matchup that everyone had circled on their calendars was the Kansas City Chiefs taking on the Green Bay Packers. It was supposed to be Patrick Mahomes dueling with Aaron Rodgers, but the Packers signal-caller was ruled out after testing positive for COVID-19.
That meant 2020 first-round pick Jordan Love would get the start against the 2018 NFL MVP.
On Sunday, there were points that Mahomes was being outplayed by Love, who at times appeared nervous during the game.
Jordan Love has better statistical game than Patrick Mahomes in the first half
Mahomes did find a way to get in the end zone in the form of a touchdown pass to tight end Travis Kelce in the first quarter. But when it came to the first half overall, Mahomes had completed 13-of-24 pass attempts for just 74 yards. Meanwhile, Love had accumulated 92 yards while throwing seven completions on 13 targets.
What did save Mahomes is that Love’s lengthy drive in the fourth quarter ended on a bad note. The former Utah State signal-caller looked much more comfortable standing in the pocket, as he completed a 16-yard pass to Marquez Valdes-Scantling up the middle. Yet, on the 14th play, Love threw an interception to cornerback L’Jarius Sneed when targeting star wide receiver Davante Adams.
Even on the ensuing drive, Mahomes had the chance to hit a wide-open Tyreek Hill on what would have been a walk-in touchdown. Instead, he overthrew him. That was the story of the game for Mahomes and the Chiefs. They had every opportunity to really pull away from the Packers, but they could not.
Love made it a game with a fourth-down touchdown pass to Allen Lazard, cutting into Kansas City’s lead to 13-7. Yet, Mahomes ended things by rolling right and hitting Hill for the first down to ice the game.
In the end, here are the final statistics for both quarterbacks:
Mahomes: 20/37 for 166 yards, 1 TD, 74.8 RatingLove: 19/34 for 190 yards, 1 TD, 1 Interception, 69.5 Rating
It was a close call for the Chiefs for the second-consecutive week. Chiefs fans are hoping that Mahomes and the offense can get things right for their next matchup against the rival Las Vegas Raiders.
