Patrick Mahomes is well aware of what’s at stake for the Chiefs on Saturday. He’s been dreaming of it since he was a kid.
No one needs to ask Patrick Mahomes if he’s ready for Saturday. The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback says he’s been dreaming of an opportunity such as this since he was just a kid.
Indeed, the chance to win in the playoffs in front of a rowdy home crowd is the stuff of imaginative afternoons in the backyard. Every kid has dreamt of such moments, enacting the very winning catch and pass with siblings, cousins or neighborhood friends—the clock winding down, the crowd roaring in the background, the last gasp effort in the end zone.
On Tuesday, Mahomes spoke with reporters about the Chiefs upcoming game, a home game against the visiting Indianapolis Colts who have earned significant respect with an incredible winning streak after their lackluster 1-5 start. The Colts snuck into the playoffs as the sixth seed and then went on to upset the third-seeded Houston Texans at NRG Stadium in the Wild Card round of the NFL playoffs. Consequently, they’ve earned significant buzz and have many analysts believing they can do it again on Sunday.
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What adds to an already potent game on Sunday, one loaded with offense due to a showdown between Mahomes and Andrew Luck, is the postseason history between the franchises. Five seasons ago, the Chiefs suffered a 28-point meltdown against the Colts—a stomach punch on par with the worst losses in NFL history. Then there’s the whole Lin Elliot thing.
Suffice it to say, Saturday is a big game. But as Mahomes stated on Tuesday, you don’t have to tell him what’s at stake.
"“For me, this is my first playoff game. I’m excited just to be here and to get the opportunity to go out there and win games like this. When you’re growing up, you want to go and play games like this. When you get older, you want to be a professional athlete and you want to win on the biggest stage. For me, it’s all about going out there, being myself, leaning on my teammates and winning a football game.”"
Fortunately, the Chiefs have been under the microscope quite a bit already in 2018 with one of the NFL’s most daunting schedules. Mahomes has endured the Rams showdown, the close loss to the Patriots, the season-opening road games against the Chargers and Steelers. Not only did he shoot out of an offensive cannon to start the season (10 touchdowns in two games) but he maintained an MVP pace for all 16 games while handling the onslaught of media requests that come with being the next NFL superstar—the biggest athlete in the biggest sport in America.
In short, Saturday is nothing that Mahomes cannot handle. He’s already gone up against a schedule filled with powerful teams and put up 12 wins in the process. He’s put up numbers that mirror the best seasons ever by a quarterback and he’s done so without any previous experience to lean upon. He’s a rookie with a vet’s demeanor.
If the Chiefs lose on Saturday it will not be because Mahomes was somehow undone by the playoff atmosphere or the game’s high stakes. He’s been waiting for this moment for some time.