Chiefs: Mahomes on the Range

by Shawn Sorter

Think back to your favorite Kansas City Chiefs teams of the past. All the 13-3’s, all the division titles, all the great defenses, the great running backs, even the great offenses under Dick Vermeil. What did all of those teams have in common? They did not have a quarterback that would even belong in the same galaxy as Patrick Mahomes.

We have had some really good quarterbacks, from Trent Green to Alex Smith, even a couple of years of Joe Montana roaming around town. Other than the loss to Buffalo in ‘93, there is one thing that all of those teams had in common –> every year, come playoff time, we would always get bounced by the better quarterback:

• The Manning no punt game, plus 2 others where we faced him
• The Brady loss in 2015
• The Big Ben loss in 2017
• Losing to Elway in the playoffs when his entire offensive line lathered themselves in crisco and I’ll still never understand why that was not penalized, or because of Elway so many years we could not even make the playoffs.

Turns out, Elway really knew what they were doing all along:

Of course there were years in the past when our team wasn’t good enough anyway, but all those times if we had a Mahomes, things would have been different. The common theme is… we rarely had the superior QB. Now it is different.

Take a look at what Chiefs Reporter, Matt McMullen, had to say about Patrick Mahomes’ accomplishments during his short career so far:

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• He was the fastest player in NFL history to reach 10,000 passing yards, doing so in just 34 games.
• He’s kept it up, too, throwing for the most passing yards (14,489) and passing touchdowns (117) through 50 career starts in NFL history, despite only making 47 career starts.
• Mahomes has tallied 27 300-yard games in his career [now 28], which are the most in the NFL since 2018. It’s the second-most 300-yard games through 47 career starts in NFL history, trailing only Kurt Warner (28).
• Mahomes owns nine career performances with 330+ yards, 3+ touchdowns and zero picks. That’s the most such games in the NFL since 2018, and three more than second place.
• His 22 games with 3+ touchdowns are the most through 47 career starts in NFL history.
• Nobody gets off to a better start, as he’s never lost in the month of September (11-0) with 35 passing touchdowns and ZERO interceptions. That’s the most passing touchdowns for any player in a single month since 2018. [Oopsie… I guess that one’s now out the window!]
• Mahomes owns a 123.5 passer rating against the blitz during his career, which is the highest mark in the NFL since 2018. He’s thrown 29 touchdowns and just one pick vs. the blitz in his career.
• He’s 21-4 in his career on the road, including winning 11 straight. The four losses were by a combined 16 points.
• He’s recorded 125 (!!) passes of at least 25 yards since 2018, which are the most in the NFL and 16 more than second place during that span.
• Mahomes has thrown 28 touchdowns of at least 30 yards since 2018 – the most in the NFL and six more than the next best player.
• He’s the youngest player in NFL history to already own an NFL and Super Bowl MVP, and at just 26 years old, he’s just getting started.

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So should we fret about starting the year 1-2? How many times can you recall New England with Tom Brady losing early season matchups and everyone saying they were done? You know why they were never done? They had Tom Brady.

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• 2005 Patriots – Started 3-and-3, finished 10-and-6, made the playoffs
• 2008 Patriots – Started 3-and-2, finished 11-and-5, made the playoffs
• 2009 Patriots – Started 3-and-2, finished 10-and-6, didn’t make the playoffs
• 2012 Patriots – Started 1-and-2, finished 12-and-4, made the playoffs
• 2014 Patriots – Started 3-and-2, finished 12-and-4, won SB XLIX
• 2018 Patriots – Started 2-and-2, finished 12-and-4, won SB LIII

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Many more times than not, the Patriots made the playoffs, and in some cases won the Super Bowl, even though they started the year with a less than perfect record. These days, other quarterbacks are compared to Mahomes, and he’s also been compared to other GOATs in other pastures…

Whether we end up 14-2 this year, or squeak into the playoffs as a wildcard team, no team will want to face us come playoff time. Plus, Steve Spagnuolo’s defenses always get better as the year goes on, ever since he has been in K.C.. They can easily end up middle of the pack, especially once they are fully healthy on that side of the ball. However, never forget, we’ve got Mahomes… 

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Stay tuned as my next article will discuss what will likely be the missing piece the offense needs… who was just recently signed.

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Shawn Sorter — ArrowheadOne

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