Can Patrick Mahomes’ slow start be attributed to the Madden curse?

Kansas City Chiefs starting quarterback Patrick Mahomes has had a nightmarish start to the 2021 season and it has continued on Sunday afternoon against the Tennessee Titans.

Mahomes has completed 5-of-9 passes for 41 yards and an interception. He also has two fumbles accredited to his stat line as the Chiefs are down 27-0 at the half. The three-time Pro Bowl quarterback has thrown an interception in six straight games, which is out of the norm from what we’ve seen from him in his young career.

Common sense would say that Mahomes and the Chiefs as a whole are not playing great football. However, there could be another reason for Mahomes struggles, and that is the Madden curse.

If you don’t know about the Madden curse, it usually involves the cover athlete for the video game and they either play bad or get injured. For Mahomes, this is the second time that he’s graced the cover of the EA Sports’ football game. The first time the star quarterback was on the cover was Madden 20.

Mahomes was not affected by the cover curse in 2019 as he completed 65.9% of his passes for 4,031 yards, 26 touchdowns and five interceptions. However, for this year’s game, which features both Mahomes and Tom Brady on the cover, it appears that the jinx has reared its ugly head.

The passes that Mahomes usually completes to his wide receivers and tight ends are being tipped up in the air for turnovers. He’s also set a career-high in fumbles this year with four.