It might be hard to imagine Patrick Mahomes having anything to improve upon after a historic 2018 campaign in which he threw for 5,097 yards and 50 touchdowns en route to winning the NFL MVP award, but the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback can be even better in 2019.
How?
Well, the one blemish on Mahomes' resume this past season was his tendency to try and force the ball into tight coverages, which is natural for a quarterback with his inhuman arm strength (see: Brett Favre).
His carefree approach led to 12 interceptions, and while that is still hardly an overwhelming amount, it is a sign that Mahomes could be prone to throwing 15 or more picks per season if he doesn't rein it in a bit.
It's not that Mahomes isn't an accurate passer, because he is. After all, he completed 66 percent of his passes this past year, and that was with Mahomes throwing the deep ball more than most other signal-callers.
But there is also no question that Mahomes is leaving himself open to crucial turnovers, which was on full display during his three-game of multiple picks this past year.
Now, another thing to keep in mind heading into 2019 is that Mahomes no longer has Kareem Hunt in the backfield (he had him through late November of 2018 before Hunt was released), and Tyreek Hill may also be unavailable.
If Hill is not around, that will make Mahomes' job that much more difficult, as he will lose the receiver who was, by far, his top deep threat and leave him with Sammy Watkins and a group of unproven wideouts.
That would mean that Mahomes would have to be even more careful in trying to throw into coverage, as he won't have a reliable receiver like Hill to pluck the ball away from defenders, nor will his receivers consistently be able to beat their man like Hill.
Again, it's hard to find anything truly wrong with what Mahomes did during his first full season as the starter, but if we have to pick one thing, it's his penchant for being reckless.
The funny thing is, that's also part of what makes Mahomes so effective, as he is willing to take chances that most other quarterbacks aren't, and he has the arm strength and the savvy to back it up.
But there comes a point in time where you have to be smart as a signal-caller and understand that you need to put a limit on the amount of risks you take, or else you could end up costing your team a game.
With a thinner group of weapons overall heading into 2019, Mahomes might have no choice but to be more prudent, as the Chiefs' offense will not be nearly as explosive as it was this past year without Hunt and Hill.
Not only that, but Mahomes may also learn more as he grows.
Let's not forget that he is just 23 years old and started just one game during his rookie year in 2017, so as phenomenal as he was in 2018, he is still just a baby, which is a scary thought for the rest of the NFL.
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