Patrick Mahomes wins round one. That’s the conclusion I came to after watching both Mahomes and Tyler Bray in their time on Friday night for the Chiefs preseason opener.
Actually, back that up. Alex Smith and the first team offense looked better than anyone (as they probably should). Then it was Mahomes and then it was Bray (and then Joel Stave).
Mahomes just looked the part more than Bray did. He looked more comfortable in the pocket than Bray. He was a little more mobile. You could tell that Mahomes has taken thousands of snaps in the past few years while Bray hasn’t. From what I saw, most agree with me that Mahomes looked better than Bray.
Everyone ... except Andy Reid.
“It was almost equal, it was close,” Reid said.
He added the qualifier that he would have to look at the tape and see.
We have a lot more coming on Mahomes but two plays stand out to when talking Mahomes vs. Bray. First, Bray’s interception. He stepped up in the pocket and his lack of mobility really showed as he had to get rid of the ball and threw an interception. Alex Smith or even Mahomes are mobile enough to get out of that situation, I think.
The other play is Mahomes’s touchdown. He rolled out of the pocket and had to make create extra time and make something happen. Reid said that was just Mahomes making a play. “That wasn’t how it was drawn up.”
After one round, Mahomes has the edge in my rankings.