Patrick Mahomes silences his critics by performing as the NFL's best against the Raiders

It's been difficult to find too much to dislike about the Kansas City Chiefs so far this season. After all, the two-time defending Super Bowl champions are the only undefeated team in the NFL. Still, there have been plenty of “experts” who have expressed doubts about the Chiefs this season, in large part due to Patrick Mahomes not playing at his usual high level. However, that wasn't the case on Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders.

We could argue all day about how fair it is to say Mahomes hasn't played well in the Chiefs' first six games. He certainly hasn't put up the kind of numbers we've become accustomed to, and he came into Sunday's game with just 6 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. However, Mahomes has always come out on top when needed and found a way to help KC get wins.

If there are people who are trying to convince themselves that Mahomes is no longer the same elite quarterback, then his play against the Raiders didn't help their cause. He had a record of 27-38 (71% completions) for 262 yards with 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. This interception came on a deflected pass and wasn't a bad play by Mahomes. He also added 17 yards rushing while picking up some key first downs.

The Raiders are now 2-6 and are not an elite team, but they always seem to compete hard against the Chiefs no matter the circumstances. I argued before the game that this could be a trap game for the Chiefs, and it certainly looked that way at times, but not because of anything Mahomes did. Despite having the Raiders' best performance, Mahomes looked like the quarterback we saw win the last two Super Bowls, someone calm and in complete control of the game.

Even though freshman DeAndre Hopkins played some in this game, he definitely wasn't up to speed. It seemed like Hopkins was a natural fit for the Chiefs, so things shouldn't get better until he's “all systems go” in this offense. Mahomes was able to get a quality performance from Travis Kelce on National Tight Ends Day. Kelce's 10 receptions for 90 yards and a touchdown were by far his best performance of the year.

If Mahomes plays like he did on Sunday and gets consistent production from Hopkins and Kelce going forward, his numbers are bound to go up from here. Plus, the production from Hopkins and Kelce should open things up even more for guys like Xavier Worthy and Noah Gray, who continue to do good work here and there. The only possible concern for this offense is for everyone else to stay healthy and address the questions they still have.

Even if Mahomes' numbers don't rise much, his “poor play” is greatly exaggerated due to the high bar he has set for himself. He's currently on pace to post a 68.4% completion rate (which would be a career best), and while his 7.3 yards per attempt would be below his career average, it's already better than 7. 0 he scored last season. He's also on pace to throw for 4,000 yards. While that's a far cry from his career high of 5,250, if you listen to the national narrative about how KC won with its defense and running game, you'd think that yardage number is well under 4,000.

If you want a single stat that tells you how well Mahomes is playing, look at Kansas City's third down conversion numbers. The Chiefs converted 12 of 16 third downs against the Raiders. Combine that with the 8 of 14 third downs they converted against the San Francisco 49ers last week, and they're 20 of 30 third downs overall since their bye week. Converting two-thirds of your third downs is awesome. If the Chiefs can maintain anywhere near this level across the board, they will be incredibly difficult to beat, especially with their defense.

Patrick Mahomes may not be having the best statistical year of his career, but with the Chiefs at 7-0 and him having one of his best games of the year, no one in Chiefs Kingdom is complaining. If his critics continue to “poke the bear” and take shots at him because of what his overall stats look like, they are setting themselves up for disappointment. The Mahomes we saw on Sunday seemed ready to compete for a third straight Super Bowl, and if the addition of DeAndre Hopkins proves successful and the left tackle situation calms down, the rest of the Fear NFL…very worried.