Patrick Mahomes pays tribute to Len Dawson’s long-standing record
By Matt Conner
Kansas City Chiefs phenom Patrick Mahomes paid tribute to Hall of Fame quarterback Len Dawson after breaking his franchise record for touchdowns.
The Kansas City Chiefs have one Hall of Fame quarterback in their history. Though it’s way too early to speculate on such things, it still hasn’t stopped the entire NFL from at least acknowledging there is something very, very special at quarterback in the present.
Len Dawson is the Chiefs lone quarterback representative in the Hall, unless you want to count Joe Montana, but Patrick Mahomes is putting up a helluva first season as a starting QB so far. The Chiefs have been hungry for a real sensation under center for decades now, and while some veterans have filled in admirably—a list that includes Trent Green and Alex Smith—the reality is that Mahomes is a quarterback unlike any other.
According to the numbers, Mahomes is better than Dawson, but even the second-year player admits that Dawson played in different times. After breaking the Chiefs single-season record for most touchdown passes in a single season, Mahomes spoke to reporters about the legend who held the mark for so long and what it means to share the spotlight with him.
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Dawson led the NFL in touchdown passes four times in his career, and his franchise record-setting total of 30 was not one of those years, surprisingly. However, his league-leading totals of 29, 26, 26 and 21 tell you much of what you need to know about the National Football League in those days. Even more, Dawson led the NFL in completion percentage for 7 years in the 1960s, but his total in that span was only 57 percent.
Consider how different today’s game really is. Not only is Mahomes putting up touchdowns at a record clip, but he’s got serious competition behind him with Drew Brees, Philip Rivers and others. Brees is completing passes at 77 percent this year, a full 20 percentage points over Len Dawson when he led the entire NFL in that category! It’s just a different time and Dawson was a man among boys.
Mahomes still has six more games to add to his totals (although it’s easy to see the Chiefs resting Mahomes in Week 17 if it’s not necessary), which means that the mark will likely be well beyond its current threshold of 31. In his career, Mahomes is likely to break Dawson’s original mark on more than one occasion, but here’s hoping the Chiefs remain committed to telling Dawson’s side of this story for as long as the Chiefs exist—to give perspective on what sort of league the NFL was in those days.
Mahomes is doing his part, honoring the past even as he blazes a new trail in the future.