Patrick Mahomes deserves game ball for KC Chiefs vs. Cardinals

The Arrowhead Addict Game Ball will be awarded to the standout performer of each game in 2022. The Week 1 recipient is Patrick Mahomes

Aside from a couple of injuries—some more significant than others—the Chiefs 2022 season opener went as smoothly as possible. Concerns about last year’s defensive woes and all of the personnel shifts of the offseason were negated by the scoreboard on Sunday. The process of achieving a blowout victory over the Arizona Cardinals appeared seamless, largely in part to the Arrowhead Addict Week 1 game ball recipient: Patrick Mahomes.

Mahomes’ performance made it all but impossible to hand our game ball to anyone else in Week 1. Going 30/39 for 360 passing yards and throwing five touchdowns is straight-up otherworldly. Just when things seem like they can’t get any better, 15 reminds everybody of what he’s made of. Sunday’s stat line was just the most recent addition to the legend that has been his young career.

For those who would rather talk down on or maintain a modest opinion about Mahomes—whether it be a fan’s defense mechanism against years of frustration in Kansas City, genuine hatred from a rival perspective, or just blind ignorance of how awesome he is—it’s time to reevaluate. He was as good as ever on Sunday, and not only set the tone for what is to come in the regular season but cleared up any doubts about the new-look offense. As common as meteoric Septembers have become for Mahomes, Sunday legitimately looked like the first step towards his reclaiming of the MVP title in ‘22.

The Cardinals, on paper, are down in talent compared to last year, and there was no J.J. Watt on the field Sunday, but from a perspective focused purely on execution, Mahomes was far and away the best quarterback across the league in Week 1.

The Arrowhead Addict game ball is a new idea for the 2022 season, and as much as it was plainly deserved, it feels fitting that Mahomes received the first one of the year. The regular season ahead is sure to be headlined by a variety of stellar performances by a number of players, but Mahomes—in the only way he knows how—has set the bar high.