The Chiefs may be undefeated and have a firm grip on the AFC, but their wins have not come easy. Every game has been neck-and-neck, with the narrow Week 3 win over the Falcons being just the most recent example.

Kansas City’s offense has struggled, ranking a mediocre 15th in the NFL in yards per play (5.4). Much like last year, the defense carried the offense through dismal stretches, but that strategy still culminated in a Super Bowl victory.

It’s hard to get mad at a 3-0 team, especially considering the schedule is about to loosen up. Still, these players are on thin ice heading into their Week 4 showdown against the Chargers.

Patrick Mahomes has, by his own admission, not played to the high standard he has built up over the years. He has completed 69.2% of his passes, which is a career high, but has only five touchdown passes and four interceptions, throwing at least one in every game.

Aside from Rashee Rice, the passing game didn’t work on Sunday. Mahomes averaged 5.6 yards per attempt and threw a bad interception to Justin Simmons. He delivered when it mattered, but still needed the defense to bail him out at the end and decide the game.

Given all of his accomplishments, Mahomes is never really on “thin ice,” but he will need to improve if this team wants to win a third consecutive Super Bowl.

It’s worth noting that the Chiefs have played against three excellent defenses: the Chargers, Bengals, and Falcons. The Chargers are also strong defensively, although the game plan gets a lot easier after that. Mahomes has plenty of time to turn things around, and you can bet he can do it.

Despite these difficulties, Mahomes is still an overwhelming favorite (+200) at FanDuel Sportsbook to win his third MVP title. The bookies don’t expect the problems to continue, so fans shouldn’t either.