Raiders DC Patrick Graham on Mahomes: "He is the Best"

Few teams know Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes like the Raiders do. Las Vegas knows they are facing the best quarterback in the league on Sunday.

Nov 26, 2023; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) is pressured by Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby (98) and defensive tackle Bilal Nichols (91) in the first half at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Las Vegas Raiders have had a trying past few weeks.

They have lost three games in a row and four of their last five. They also lost their best offensive player after All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams was recently traded to the New York Jets. Now, the Raiders get to top off all that fun with two games against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in a four-week span.

Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham was straightforward about the weapon that is Mahomes.

"He is the best player in our league, period, point blank, in my opinion,” Graham said. “I mean, to see him from his first year, when he wasn't really starting until the end, and then to what he's done in his career, the way he attacks each season differently. You can see that, there's something that you could tell that he's putting something else on his plate from season to season, regardless of where he's been to the pinnacle, he's won the Super Bowl three times. 

Graham noted that Mahomes has already accomplished so much in his career, that now he is simply looking for ways to take his game to the next level. While many look at Mahomes’ numbers from this season and feel that he is having a subpar season by his standards, Graham is not fooled and is prepared to face a focused Mahomes on Sunday. 

“You can see the deep ball in terms of, like, that's something that -- not that he hasn't been able to throw before, but you can see that they're revisiting that as a focus of their offense, and what he's able to do out there on the grass,” Graham said.

Las Vegas was the last team to beat the Kansas City Chiefs, as Kansas City has won their last 12 games, dating back to last season. Graham acknowledged that Mahomes is the cream of the crop when it comes to quarterbacks in the NFL and commands the utmost respect. 

“I mean, there's nobody else like him in the league in terms of mobility, in terms of arm strength, access to the entire field, getting them in and out of plays, in terms of checking the run game, getting to the right offensive play,” Graham said. “He's the best player, in my opinion. No disrespect to all the guys that are playing, but he's the best player in our league, and we’ve got to treat him with that type of respect."

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