If you wonder whether Patrick Mahomes is petty or not, just know he mentioned PFF’s grading system in a post-game press conference.
Most fans of the Kansas City Chiefs already likely knew an important fact about their star quarterback Patrick Mahomes: he can be petty. While that’s not all that compelling of a character trait off of the field, for a quarterback so obsessed with greatness and as talented as he is, it’s amazing that he can fuel his game with the mentions of other people or perceived slights from media outlets.
The latest trivial display came courtesy of Mahomes at his post-game press conference after leading the Chiefs to victory over the Los Angeles Chargers during a short week on Thursday Night Football. The Week 2 matchup was an important one for an early lead in a tough division, the AFC West, and it also featured one of the most celebrated QB battles of the season. There were a hundred talking points for the media and plenty of things to focus upon for Mahomes, but that didn’t stop him from bringing up Pro Football Focus toward the end of his time with reporters.
There’s a reason why Mahomes brought up PFF: their grading system was a popular subject on social media last week when they listed Mahomes as the eighth-best quarterback from Week 1 despite his sensational performance in a win over the Arizona Cardinals. On the road in the desert, Mahomes put up 5 touchdowns and zero interceptions with 360 passing yards—good enough for him to win the season’s first AFC Offensive Player of the Week award. Unfortunately, PFF graded him below the likes of Jameis Winston and just above others like Davis Mills of the Houston Texans.
If you missed it, Mahomes was asked about the potential interception thrown that was overturned during the game—a catch by Chargers cornerback Asante Samuel, Jr. that hit the ground as the fell on top of it. The officials called it an incomplete pass and the Chiefs went on to score on that drive. Mahomes detailed the coverage on the play and then smirked as he said, “I got lucky enough that it bounced around and hit the ground and I got another chance at it. I’m sure PFF will have me a low grade for that, but I’ll keep it rolling.”
PFF analysts took a lot of online hits from Chiefs fans and others who rightly called their system into question, but it’s another level entirely when Mahomes himself mentions it.