System QB? Patrick Mahomes stat reveals benefits of playing in Chiefs offense

The Kansas City Chiefs are probably the most fraudulent 9-0 team in recent memory. At least, that's how we would be talking about them if not for the two straight Super Bowl victories and the lifetime supply of benefit of the doubt inherent to such accomplishments.

We know Patrick Mahomes is great. He's on track to challenge Tom Brady for GOAT status one day, if all goes to plan. The Chiefs are, well, obviously a Super Bowl contender as the last undefeated team standing. In pursuit of the first-ever NFL three-peat, the Chiefs could very well end this season by making history.

That said, the Chiefs have only won by more than one score twice this season. Their largest margin of victory to date was a 26-13 win over the lowly New Orleans Saints, in a game where Derek Carr got hurt. It has been a series of rousing comebacks and middling squeakers to achieve this 9-0 start. A win is a win, but the Chiefs certainly haven't felt as dominant as their perfect record suggests.

The same can be said for Mahomes individually. He's just not as sharp as we're used to, coughing up nine interceptions through nine starts. His current 2.9 interception percentage would blow his previous career-worst of 2.3 percent (from last season) out of the water.

There have been countless critiques of his footwork and decision-making, but it's all easily swept under the rug when the Chiefs keep winning games and Mahomes has three Super Bowl MVPs to fall back on.

Even so, it's safe to say that Mahomes has been more reliant on Andy Reid's scheme than usual this season.

Stats prove that Patrick Mahomes is benefitting from Andy Reid's schematic genius

Is Patrick Mahomes a system quarterback? Wellllllllllll... no. Of course not. We can't ascribe that label to such a productive and accomplished player. It's bound to age like those 'Tom Brady System QB' takes after he left Bill Belichick and won a ring in Tampa.

That said, Mahomes has benefitted from Reid in profound ways in what can be accurately described as a "weak" season. According to NFL Next Gen stats, Kansas City's wide receivers average a target separation of 4.2 yards, which is the second-highest in the NFL. Meanwhile, only 6.8 percent of Mahomes' throws this season have qualified as "tight window" throws.

So, in short, Mahomes is consistently throwing to open receivers, despite the well-documented lack of talent in the Kansas City WR room. Two of the quickest wideouts on the team, Hollywood Brown and Rashee Rice, have essentially missed the entire season. DeAndre Hopkins' arrival has made a noticeable impact, but he wasn't exactly leaving defenders in the dust with Tennessee before the trade deadline.

Reid has a special knack for getting his wide receivers open and putting Mahomes in a position to succeed. Not all of this is out of Mahomes' control, of course. The QB's ability to extend plays outside the pocket can lead to unconventional routes and unexpectedly open targets. Mahomes also processes the field quicker than most, which can help Kansas City strike before the defense clamps down.

That said, a lot of the Chiefs' offensive success this season traces back to Reid. It always does. Mahomes has been excellent by any normal quarterback metric, but he hasn't been up to his lofty standards and, most importantly, his mild "struggles" have come while operating in an almost perfect environment. As such, it's fair to wonder what exactly is off with Mahomes this season, and if it will impact the Chiefs when the games really start to count and history is on the line.