Patrick Mahomes
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has already wrecked dozens of records at the beginning of his tenure in the NFL, and as he enters the prime of his career, one can only imagine the numbers he will be able to amass if he can keep things up at this pace.
Speaking of the longevity statistics and the eye test, Mahomes is in both conversations. He’s shattered every “youngest ever to” passing record you could imagine, and his highlight reels feature some of the most eye-popping did-you-see-that moments that anyone has ever witnessed. He’s transformed the position, caused defensive coordinators across the league to completely change the way they deploy their defenses, and forced personnel executives to try to mold their teams specifically around “how to beat Patrick Mahomes.” You name it, Mahomes already has it.
You could not tell the story of the NFL without including Patrick Mahomes. And he’s just 26 years old.
Just before this postseason began, Mahomes learned that he received exactly zero All-Pro votes. Since then (in two games), he is 63-of-83 passing for 782 yards, 8 touchdowns, 1 interception, and chipped in 98 rush yards and another highlight-reel rushing score.
Two weeks ago, the fifth-year veteran was 27th among all-time NFL playoff passing yards leaders. Now he ranks 18th with 3,106 yards. Against the Steelers and Bills, Mahomes passed the likes of Randall Cunningham, Ken Stabler, Matt Ryan, Matt Hasselbeck, Roger Staubach, Eli Manning, Warren Moon, and Philip Rivers.
With the potential of two games remaining, he could move as high as 10th all-time this postseason if he eclipses Kurt Warner’s 3,952 yards, and we can expect him to pass Joe Flacco (3,223) and Steve Young (3,326) on Sunday vs the Bengals.
Sure, you might say, the chances of seeing “The Grim Reaper” rack up 422 yards per game in the next two games are slim, but certainly not impossible. For Mahomes to make the jump from 27th all-time to 10th would once again remind the entire NFL just how great he has been to this point.