Patrick Mahomes is the first QB the Chiefs drafted in the first round in 34 years. Just three years in, his trajectory is like nothing we’ve ever seen.
This goes without saying, but there isn’t a single quarterback in probably the last decade that you would pick over Patrick Mahomes if you were starting a franchise from scratch. By the end of his career, there may not be a quarterback in the entire history of the NFL you’d rather have. He has the physical gifts of JaMarcus Russell, the cerebral gifts of Peyton Manning, and the mental fortitude of Tom Brady.
I’ve said in previous articles, quarterbacks playing under Andy Reid tend to play well. Quarterbacks playing with this skill group tend to have great statistical production. None of them, and I mean none of them have been the all-around superstar that Patrick Mahomes has been. Quarterbacks are either benefactors or victims of their system, but the system is also the benefactor or victim. In this case, it’s clear both parties are benefactors.
The craziest part, and one that should frighten opposing teams and fan bases across the league, is that he is just getting started. Even with his young age and relative inexperience, having only started in 36 games, he’s already breaking several impressive NFL records. His 13 postseason touchdowns, 12 passing and one rushing, are the most in a single postseason in NFL history. His 11 touchdowns preceding the interceptions he threw in the Super Bowl, his first two he’s even thrown in the playoffs to begin with, were the most touchdowns without a turnover in the Super Bowl era.
He’s also the youngest player to have thrown 10 passing touchdowns in a postseason. In his five playoff games Mahomes has won four games and only lost one game, a heartbreaker in overtime where he never even possessed the ball. He has gaudy per game numbers to go with his impressive record, completing 63 percent of his passes for 295 yards and nearly three touchdowns, adding 31 yards and .6 touchdowns on the ground. While his stats have been impressive, the accolades they brought are even more so.
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Mahomes became the youngest player to ever win a Super Bowl MVP, and he undoubtedly deserved it. A lot is being made of his poor three quarters, albeit poor only relative to his usual brilliance. Not enough is being made of the fact that through three quarters he took bone jarring hits and experienced tremendous pressure, only to shrug those deterrents off to deliver arguably the most legendary half quarter in NFL history.
To provide some context to the pressure he faced, no quarterback in the last 15 seasons has beaten a defense in the Super Bowl who had 55 sacks or more in the regular season and playoffs. There were six quarterbacks before him, some of the biggest names in the entire history of the sport, and they all failed that test.
With that impressive resolve, Mahomes finished the season with five wins and zero losses when trailing by double digits in a game. This qualifies him for another top mark in NFL history. Finally, winning the Super Bowl and Super Bowl MVP, Mahomes became the youngest player to win an NFL MVP, a Super Bowl and a Super Bowl MVP.
To be honest, there’s more that could be said. In just two years, Mahomes holds an impressive number of all-time records. He’s orchestrated a jaw-dropping regular season MVP campaign, and has now added a Super Bowl victory and Super Bowl MVP trophy to that mix. His head coach and supporting cast are great, but there’s no denying he’s taken a good team and made them elite. His trajectory, just three seasons in, is like nothing we’ve ever seen.