The impact Patrick Mahomes has on the Chiefs defense

MIAMI — It was early in the Kansas City Chiefs offseason program last spring, but Patrick Mahomes seemed in midseason form as he ripped apart the Chiefs’ defense pretty much on a daily basis.

Frankly, the manner in which Mahomes was getting after it was the source of frustration for his teammates on the other side of the line of scrimmage.

Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu remembers. “Pat Mahomes was slicing and dicing us,” he said.

After awhile, though, Mathieu became reconciled to the daily beatings by reminding himself that the defense was in the early stages of a major reconstruction, changing from a 3-4 defense played in 2018 to a 4-3 being installed by new coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.

That changeover also meant that at least seven new players were being implemented into the system, including Mathieu, who was signed by the Chiefs last offseason.

Plus, the guy they were knocking heads with every day was none other than the NFL’s reigning Most Valuable Player and arguably the best quarterback in the game. That’s not to mention the incredible talent Mahomes had at his disposal on an offense that averaged a league-leading 35.3 points per game the year before.

“Olympic track stars and an All-World quarterback” is how Mathieu put it.

With all that working against Mathieu and his new Chiefs defensive teammates, it was almost inevitable that Mahomes was going to have his way. Much like he did against every other defense this season, throwing for 4,031 yards and 26 touchdowns against just five interceptions.

It was another MVP-caliber year for Mahomes, who has thrown for 9,128 yards and 76 touchdowns the last two seasons.

This was, however, a side benefit to being regularly victimized by Mahomes. Those daily battles through OTAs and training camp and even into the regular season sharpened a Chiefs defense in a way that might not have been possible against any other group.

So, as Kansas City prepares to face the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday in Super Bowl LIV, nothing about the 49ers’ offense frightens the Chiefs, not after having to contend with Mahomes in practice.

All that has contributed to a massive defensive turnaround in Kansas City.

Mathieu and the Chiefs gave up seven fewer points per game in 2019 compared to 2018 and rose all the way from 24th in total defense to seventh. In the process, a group that continually let Kansas City down last year and ultimately cost them a chance to advance to the Super Bowl is now a reliable, difference-making unit.

That was never more the case than in the 10-game stretch they put together to finish the season. The defensive surge coincided with Mahomes dislocating his kneecap in Week 7, an injury that sidelined him for two games. With a wounded Mahomes, the Chiefs’ defense needed to step up. And it did exactly that, surrendering an average of only 16.3 points per game.

Spagnuolo has played his role, as have all the various newcomers to his aggressive, multifaceted scheme. Mathieu, in particular, has helped spearhead a defensive secondary that improved from second-worst in passing yards allowed in 2019 to eighth-best in 2019 and assisted a pass rush that generated 45 sacks.

But Mahomes played his r0le in the turnaround simply by being himself day after day in practice.

“Anytime you’re playing against an offense like that every day, you’re just going to keep getting better,” said Chiefs defensive end Frank Clark, another newcomer to the Kansas City defense. “Anytime you keep getting destroyed, you’re going to find a way to win eventually.”

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore onTwitter.