We may all be asking ourselves: Can Mahomes stay strong late in the season? If he maintains his CFB consistency, we have nothing to worry about.
This is a question we may all be asking ourselves (Kansas City Chiefs fan or not): Can quarterback Patrick Mahomes stay this strong late in the season? Or even throughout his professional career? I don’t know about you, but I am still on my toes waiting for the other shoe to drop—for Mahomes to show some signs of being human (or even so young). The man is too good to be true.
The NFL season is long, much longer than the college season, especially if a player is on a winning team. The rigors of going against the biggest and best over the course of a 16-game season in addition to the preseason and offseason training activities can add up for a younger player without the stamina. And that doesn’t include the postseason.
Yet if Mahomes’ professional football consistency is anything like his college football days, Chiefs Kingdom has nothing to worry about. This gunslinger is here to make us proud for years to come.
His Texas Tech Days
In 2014 as a freshman, Mahomes was a backup quarterback to Davis Webb until the end of the season. Mahomes took over the last four games of the season and finished with a 151 QB rating. Not only that but in their last game of the season against Baylor, Mahomes broke the Big 12 freshman record by throwing for 598 yards with six touchdowns and one interception.
His sophomore year was his most inconsistent time, but of course, many factors we could evaluate could play into that. How good was Texas Tech’s opponent’s defense, Mahomes offensive line, etc. But on the optimistic side, his junior year and NFL career make up for it.
For his sophomore and junior year, let me break it down in thirds to get a sense of his consistency or lack thereof. The first third of 2015, Texas Tech was 4-1 and Mahomes threw 11 touchdowns and three interceptions for 1,421 yards. He also rushed 5 touchdowns.
The second third of 2015, Mahomes threw 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions for 1,430 yards. In Mahomes’ last third of the season, he threw 16 touchdowns and five interceptions for 1,802 yards. It’s as if Mahomes had a hiccup in the middle of the season but finished strong.
So for 2016, this is where we start to see the Mahomes we know today. The first third of the season, he threw 18 touchdowns and three interceptions for 1,770 yards. The middle of the season, he threw 10 touchdowns and four interceptions for 1,749 yards. Mahomes had his biggest game against Oklahoma in Week 7 where he broke the single-game passing yards record by throwing for 734 yards. Mahomes vs. Baker Mayfield:
And finally, for the last third of Mahomes collegiate career, he threw 13 touchdowns and three interceptions for 1,533 yards. Mahomes finished that season leading all U.S. colleges in yards per game (421), passing yards (5,502), total offensive yards (5,312), points responsible for (318) and total touchdowns (53). There is no question why Andy Reid was interested in him. Mahomes’ arm doesn’t get tired.
His Professional Career
Now in his first season as a starter in the NFL, Mahomes stats are setting NFL records. Compared to his college stats, his completion percentage is two percent higher at 67.5 percent, and he has thrown for 3,628 yards so far. Going into Week 13, he has already thrown 37 touchdowns and he’s within striking distance of the all-time NFL record—depending on how much Andy Reid gets to air it out in these final five weeks.
Throughout Mahomes’ three years in college, he improved immensely. It seems as though being under Andy Reid’s wing will only continue his steep trajectory.