*Editor's Note: This article was originally written before the Chiefs beat the Bills in the AFC Divisional Round. Patrick Mahomes is now 13-3 in the playoffs.
The Kansas City Chiefs have been a force to be reckoned with in the playoffs ever since Patrick Mahomes took the quarterbacking reins. This was not the case before Mahomes arrived, as fans were always nervous about playoff games due to the team always seeming to choke when push came to shove.
Before Mahomes got to Kansas City, the Chiefs had only 9 playoff wins against 18 playoff losses. It didn't seem to matter if they were a top seed or a Wild Card team, the Chiefs were never getting past their first opponent and it was frustrating.
Since Mahomes has taken over, however, the narrative has completely shifted.
Five years ago, before Patrick Mahomes' first playoff game, the Chiefs' franchise record in the postseason was 9-18.
— Rany Jazayerli (@jazayerli) January 14, 2024
They've made it all the way back to .500 at 21-21.
What is Patrick Mahomes' career playoff record?
Heading into the Chiefs' divisional round game against the Buffalo Bills, Patrick Mahomes is 12-3 in the playoffs. He's played 12 postseason games at home at Arrowhead Stadium and three of those games have been on neutral fields. This weekend's game against the Bills will be his first-ever road playoff game.
That's right, despite playing 15 playoff games, Mahomes has yet to play a true road game in the postseason. That is pretty incredible when you consider just how hard that is to accomplish.
Let's head back into the time machine now and recap every playoff game Mahomes has appeared in.
He didn't start in 2018 when the Chiefs made the playoffs, as Alex Smith was still the starter so that doesn't count on his resumé. His first-ever playoff start came in 2019 (2018 season) when the Chiefs hosted the Colts. That win was the Chiefs' first home victory in the playoffs since Joe Montana had been a member of the team in the early 90s.
Unfortunately, the next week, Mahomes balled out but the Chiefs defense was unable to stop the Patriots on third and long multiple times. The Patriots won that game in overtime and went on to the Super Bowl where they won it all.
The next playoff run started bleak, as the Chiefs were down 24-0 to the Texans. Soon, the Mahomes magic kicked in and the good guys won it 51-31 with Mahomes throwing for 321 yards and five touchdowns. We saw a similar story the next week in the AFC Championship Game when the Chiefs got off to a slow start but Mahomes kicked it into high gear with an incredible touchdown run that swung the momentum to K.C.'s side.
That year's Super Bowl saw the Chiefs down by 10 points with roughly six minutes to go and—you guessed it—Mahomes got going and the rest is history.
Patrick Mahomes playoff career vs. AFC Teams:
— Brad Spielberger, Esq. (@PFF_Brad) January 17, 2024
- 10-2 Record (lost both games in OT)
- Averaging 32.7 ppg
- 34 total TDs (30 passing, 4 rushing) / 3 INTs
15 travels. (h/t @DaveSulfaro)
In the following year's playoff run, Mahomes and company narrowly beat the Browns in the divisional round, blew out the Bills in the title game, and then got their doors blown off by the Buccaneers in the Super Bowl. That Super Bowl loss was just the second loss in Mahomes' playoff career and the lack of a true offensive line is what ailed K.C. in that one.
The following playoff run, Mahomes beat the Steelers in the Wild Card round (the first Wild Card game of his career) and then only needed 13 seconds to tie things up with the Bills before winning it in overtime. Unfortunately, a rivalry was born when the Bengals came into Kansas City and stunned the Chiefs, handing Mahomes his third playoff loss. That loss came in overtime, so both of Mahomes' losses to AFC teams in the playoffs have come in overtime.
We know how well last year's playoff run went. Mahomes and the Chiefs got the No. 1 seed so they had to take care of the Jaguars in the divisional round, which they did, and then once again hosted the Bengals in the AFC Championship Game. They won that game by the skin of their teeth and then narrowly took down the Eagles in the Super Bowl.
Most recently, Mahomes beat up the Dolphins to get him his 12th playoff win. It's incredible seeing the Chiefs go from a team prone to choking in the postseason to now being a feared unit. That's all because of Mahomes and hopefully, he gets win number 13 this weekend and his first road playoff win.