Superstar Patrick Mahomes was ill. The Chiefs’ offense looked under the weather, too

Patrick Mahomes’ first completion of Sunday’s game at the Denver Broncos went for minus-four yards to running back Isiah Pacheco, and one of the more bizarre games in the quarterback’s six-year NFL tenure was under way.

The passing total of 241 yards was below Mahomes’ average, but he’s produced less. A game without a touchdown pass has happened before. Two interceptions on the day, as well.

But add it up and the performance of Mahomes and the offense in a 24-9 loss stands with most unexpected and unusual in the years since he became an NFL starter in Kansas City.

Which, by the way, occurred on the same field as Sunday’s loss. Mahomes led a Chiefs comeback victory in that final regular-season game of 2017. Since then, he had not lost to the Broncos in 12 games.

The Chiefs’ overall winning streak against the Broncos, and Mahomes’ personal record against AFC West opponents — both stood at 16-0.

The curtain dropped on those runs Sunday. The Chiefs committed five turnovers in a game for the first time since 2018. Mahomes was responsible for three when you add his lost fumble.

“It’s the worst I’ve felt walking out of this stadium,” said Mahomes, who apparently didn’t count the 2019 visit, when he left with a dislocated knee cap and missed the next two games.

Mahomes wasn’t injured in this one, but he was sick. He had been dealing with flu-like symptoms late in the week but didn’t elaborate on their severity.

Chiefs coach Andy Reid also didn’t go into details, either.

“He was sick, but he’s not going to use that an excuse,” Reid said. “He wasn’t feeling well.”

Teammates weren’t aware until Sunday that Mahomes was under the weather.

“Didn’t know anything,” wide receiver Justin Watson said. “He’s a warrior. I know he’s going to play no matter what, and we’ve seen that.”

Mahomes battled, but this much is certain: He didn’t get enough help.

A first-down pass to Marquez Valdes-Scantling ended in a fumble. A floater dropped through the arms of Skyy Moore in the end zone on fourth down. The running game, beyond Mahomes’ own scrambling and a 19-yard burst by Isiah Pacheco, was ineffective..

And the Chiefs’ red-zone woes continued. They got there three times Sunday. Those drives ended with two Harrison Butker field goals and a Mahomes fumble while being sacked, making the Chiefs one for eight on touchdowns in the red zone in two games against the Broncos.

And that added up to lousy numbers that extended beyond winning streaks. The Chiefs didn’t score a touchdown for just the third time in the Mahomes era. And Mahomes turned in the second-lowest passer rating game of his career, topped only by a 2021 contest against the Broncos. But the Chiefs won that game.

This time, they never led. What chances they had to swing the game — the defense came up with a fourth-down stop that led to a field goal just before halftime, and Justin Reid blocked a field goal — went unfulfilled by an offense that never found its rhythm.

“At the end of the day we have to execute at a higher level,” Mahomes said. “I have to be better and the offense has to be better.”