On Wednesday, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes turned 30 years old, completing the most successful run by the best quarterback we’ve seen in their twenties. No one had ever achieved three Super Bowl wins and two regular-season MVP awards before the age of 33 before Mahomes did it in Year 7 at the age of 28.
That satisfies the “best there was” part of the famous Bret Hart saying. As for the best there is, someone still has to stop the monopoly of great moments that Mahomes has in running the AFC.
For all the hype that Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen get as his rivals since the trio became starters in 2018, they are a combined 0-5 against Mahomes in the playoffs, both losing at home to what was supposed to be the weakest Kansas City team in 2023. Meanwhile, the Ravens and Bills have had stronger, more complete and balanced rosters than the Chiefs in this time.
No one in NFL history has limited the success of his rivals better than Mahomes has by reaching seven straight AFC Championship Games and five of the last six Super Bowls. You want the crown? Then end the king’s reign in the AFC this year.
As you’ll see below, we have more than enough evidence to show that Mahomes is the best there is and the best there was. The question mark is whether he will be the best there ever will be.
Turning 30 years old in the NFL is usually the beginning of the end if you play running back, defensive back, or another speed-dependent position. But if you’re still a starting quarterback at 30, chances are you’re in your prime with some players making it to their 40s.
But that’s where things get tricky with Mahomes. Starting his thirties this week, he’s facing the most adversity of his career with his first 3-game losing streak going back to February’s crushing Super Bowl loss to the Eagles. The Chiefs have never put less help around him than what he has at the moment, and they are only +230 to win the AFC West after Week 2.
Has the music stopped in Kansas City? Did the dynasty end in New Orleans in February? Have we already seen the best versions of Mahomes we’ll ever see and it’s all downhill from here with retirements looming for Travis Kelce and Andy Reid, the two constants who have shared this ride with him since 2017?
Turning 30 can be a little depressing, but before we take a look at that uncertain future, let’s look back at what has easily been the most impressive start to a quarterback’s career in NFL history. Too often people don’t appreciate something historic while it’s still in progress.
On his 30th birthday, let’s appreciate the way Mahomes has already raised the bar for the standard of quarterback play in the NFL and is influencing the next generation as well if you’re familiar with Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola.
You don’t see anyone cosplaying as Tom Brady.
Table of Contents
Patrick Mahomes: Rewriting the NFL Record Books
Including the playoffs, Mahomes started 135 games before his 30th birthday. You can find 69 quarterbacks in NFL history with more career starts but only 20 with more wins (106).
But even with 135 starts this early into his ninth season, Mahomes has a long list of records and achievements that go far beyond the paltry 14 NFL records listed on his Wikipedia page.
That’s why you should bookmark this link as we will continue updating and adding to the list of achievements for Mahomes as his career progresses. If you feel there is something missing or in error, contact me on Twitter/X.
The Historic Start for Mahomes
Some quarterbacks hold a lot of records because they played the game longer than anybody. Most games à most attempts à most opportunities. But Patrick Mahomes already has a lot of NFL records because he’s played the game better than anyone.
Right out of the gate, Mahomes was putting his name in the NFL record books. With the 2017 Chiefs resting starters in Week 17 for the playoffs, a rookie Mahomes got his first start as a 3-point underdog in Denver. His first NFL completion was a 51-yard gain on 3rd-and-10 to a backup tight end, giving us a preview of the historic production on third down that would follow.
After the Chiefs gave up a 24-10 lead in the fourth quarter, Mahomes reentered the game and led his first game-winning drive for a 27-24 victory. He threw for the most yards (284) of any quarterback who led a game-winning drive in his first start. Ryan Fitzpatrick once threw for 310 yards in a comeback win off the bench for the 2005 Rams in Houston in his NFL debut. But Mahomes has the record for a first start that included a game-winning drive.
When Mahomes became Kansas City’s full-time starter in 2018, he immediately turned in a record-setting MVP season and led the Chiefs to their first AFC Championship Game since the 1993 season. In 2019, he led the Chiefs to their first Super Bowl win since 1969.
Here are some of the record achievements Mahomes made in those early years:
- Most touchdown passes in the first two games of a season in NFL history – Patrick Mahomes, 10 (2018)
- Mahomes joined Peyton Manning (2013 Broncos) as the only quarterbacks to throw for 5,000 yards and 50 touchdowns in the same season
- Mahomes tied Andrew Luck (2014 Colts) as the only quarterbacks to throw for 300 yards in eight consecutive regular-season games in the same season
- Most team points in a loss in NFL history – 51 vs. 2018 Rams (first quarterback to score 50 points and lose a game)
- The 2018 Chiefs are the first 12-win team in NFL history to allow over 400 points (421)
- The 2018 Chiefs have the largest scoring differential (+144) in NFL history of any team to allow 400 points in a season
- The 2018 Chiefs are the only team in NFL history to score at least 26 points in every regular-season game, and they did it in both playoff games too
- Most passing yards in one of the first three quarters of a game in NFL history – 278 yards in second quarter vs. 2019 Raiders
- Most passing yards without an interception to begin a season in NFL history – 1,831 in 2019
By firing on all cylinders early and so consistently, Mahomes did things in his first ~25 starts that no other quarterback in NFL history has been able to beat at any point in their career.
Just 50 starts into Mahomes’ career (playoffs included), he already set two all-time scoring streaks. One started immediately with the first 23 starts of his career, then a game after it ended, he immediately ripped off another record scoring streak:
- Most consecutive games leading team to 26+ points – 23 games (first 23 starts of career in 2017-19; no other team has even a 20-game streak)
- Most consecutive games leading team to 22+ points – 26 games (ended in 17-14 win vs. 2020 Falcons; Drew Brees is the only other quarterback with a 25-game streak of scoring at least 20 points)
By passing for at least 243 yards in each of his first 25 NFL starts (playoffs included), Mahomes also made all-time history there:
- Most consecutive games with 240 passing yards all time, including playoffs – 25 (first 25 career games; Drew Brees first had a 25-game streak in 2011-12)
- Most consecutive games with 200 passing yards to begin career, including playoffs – 25 (Dak Prescott had the record at 10 games in 2016)
- Most consecutive games with 240 passing yards to begin career, including playoffs – 25 (the record was 2 games when Mahomes broke it)
The only things to derail these streaks were some leg injuries in October 2019 when Mahomes had an injured ankle in that 19-13 loss to the Colts on Sunday Night Football, then he dislocated his kneecap on a quarterback sneak in Denver 11 days later, which basically took the quarterback sneak out of KC’s playbook the rest of the way.
Mahomes and the Fastest to Passing Records
By being so prolific right away, Mahomes has set a lot of records where he’s been the fastest to throwing a milestone number of touchdown passes or passing yards in the fewest regular-season games.
For example, Mahomes threw for 2,149 passing yards in his first seven NFL games, which was the most of anybody. He’s maintained that lead all the way through his first 114 games and he has a 4-game pace lead on where Matthew Stafford was at this point. That means Mahomes had the most passing yards through 10, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50, 75, 100, etc. games all the way up to 118 and counting.
It’s the same concept with touchdown passes where Mahomes was the fastest to 10 touchdowns (3 games), 50 touchdowns (17 games), 100 touchdowns (40 games), 200 touchdowns (84 games), etc. However, he did fall off the pace at one point, allowing Dan Marino to keep the record by himself for most touchdowns through 59-to-66 games.
Mahomes is currently tied with Aaron Rodgers for the most touchdown passes (247) through 119 games with 114 games played. He could stand to pick things up this year or he risks falling off the pace again. But for now, being the fastest to 300 and 400 touchdown passes looks within his reach.
Including the playoffs, Mahomes has 51 games with 3+ touchdown passes before his 30th birthday, outpacing the likes of Dan Marino (46) and Peyton Manning (40) for the most ever.
With all of this success, it’s also no surprise that Mahomes set the NFL record for the most wins (78) through his first 100 regular-season starts too.
Season and Career NFL Records for Mahomes
With Mahomes in Year 9, some of his rate records are always evolving and he may not be able to maintain them through the end of his career. But for now, he does rank No. 1 in several rate records and has set some single-season and counting stat game records too (stats are for regular season only unless specified):
- Highest win percentage as a starting quarterback in NFL history, regular season only (min. 100 starts) – Patrick Mahomes, 89-25 (.781)
- Highest win percentage as a starting quarterback in NFL history, including playoffs (min. 100 starts) – Patrick Mahomes, 106-29 (.785)
- Highest passing yards per game average in NFL history (min. 1,500 attempts) – Patrick Mahomes, 287.7 yards
- Highest passing success rate since 1978, regular season only (min. 1,500 attempts – Patrick Mahomes, 52.2%
- Highest adjusted net yards per pass attempt in NFL history (min. 1,500 attempts) – Patrick Mahomes, 7.48
- Highest adjusted net yards per pass attempt in losses in NFL history, including playoffs (min. 1,000 attempts) – Patrick Mahomes, 6.15 (only quarterback above 5.90)
- Most total yards (passing and rushing) in a single regular season in NFL history – Patrick Mahomes, 5,608 (2022)
- Most games in NFL history with 400+ passing yards and 5+ touchdown passes – 4 (includes playoffs)
- Mahomes is the only quarterback to ever have four consecutive games with 30+ completions and 2+ touchdown passes in the same season (2020)
Mahomes’ Growing List of NFL Postseason Records
The playoffs are where Mahomes has solidified his status as someone who belongs in the debate for the greatest quarterback of all time. While you can point to the longevity edge and what quarterbacks like Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers, and Drew Brees did in the regular season, Mahomes already has them all beat with his postseason accomplishments, which already rank him second in wins (17-4 record, 3-2 in Super Bowls) with three Super Bowl MVP awards, or as many as that trio had combined.
Naturally, Mahomes has set a slew of playoff records along the way:
- Most touchdown passes in a single postseason – 11 in 2021 (tied with 1989 Joe Montana, 2008 Kurt Warner, and 2012 Joe Flacco)
- Most total touchdowns (passing and rushing) in a single postseason – 12 in 2019 and 2021
- Only quarterback to throw multiple walk-off touchdown passes in NFL overtime playoff history (2021 AFC divisional vs. Bills, 2023 Super Bowl vs. 49ers)
- Only quarterback in NFL history to throw a walk-off touchdown pass to win a championship (2023 Super Bowl vs. 49ers)
- Only quarterback to throw multiple game-winning touchdown passes in the Super Bowl, fourth quarter or overtime (2019 vs. 49ers, 2023 vs. 49ers)
- Most playoff games with 130.0+ passer rating (min. 20 attempts) – 4
- Most playoff games with 120.0+ passer rating (min. 10 attempts) – 7
- Most playoff games with 120.0+ passer rating (min. 35 attempts) – 5 (Aaron Rodgers, 4, only other player with more than two)
- Most playoff games with 110.0+ passer rating (min. 30 attempts) – 7
- Most playoff games with 5+ touchdown passes – 2 (tied with Daryle Lamonica and Kurt Warner)
- One of 11 players in NFL history to win MVP and Super Bowl MVP in the same season (2022)
- Youngest quarterback in NFL history to start a second Super Bowl (25 years, 143 days old vs. 2020 Buccaneers)
- Youngest quarterback to win Super Bowl MVP award (24 years and 138 days vs. 2019 49ers)
- First quarterback to throw for 300 yards, 5 touchdowns, and rush for 50 yards in a playoff game vs. 2019 Texans (Josh Allen the second to do so vs. 2021 Patriots)
- Second player to throw four touchdown passes in the single quarter of a playoff game vs. 2019 Texans, second quarter (Doug Williams threw 4 touchdown passes in second quarter vs. 1987 Broncos)
- Against Pittsburgh in the 2021 wild card game, Mahomes threw 5 touchdown passes in a span of 11 minutes and 31 seconds, the fastest in playoff history.
- Against Buffalo in the 2021 divisional round, Mahomes led the NFL’s only clutch field goal drive of 40-plus yards that started in the final 15 seconds in any game since 1981.
- Most consecutive postseasons with multiple wins – Patrick Mahomes, 6 (2019-24; active)
- Mahomes is the only quarterback to host five consecutive conference championship games (2018-22) and the only quarterback to start 5-of-6 Super Bowls (2019-24)
- Mahomes only needed six seasons (2017-22) to win multiple Super Bowls and multiple MVP awards, beating Tom Brady (11 seasons), Joe Montana (12 seasons), and Peyton Manning (18 seasons) to that feat.
Like the way he’s rewriting the record books for fastest to reaching touchdown passes in the regular season, Mahomes is doing the same in the playoffs. He already has the second-most touchdown passes (46) in playoff history.
ESPN’s QBR stat only goes back to the 2006 season, but Mahomes has several high marks there as well:
- Mahomes’ 96.3 QBR vs. 2022 Eagles in Super Bowl 57 is the highest QBR in any Super Bowl since 2006
- Mahomes’ 97.7 QBR vs. 2019 Titans in the AFC Championship Game is the highest QBR in a championship game since 2006
- Mahomes has the two highest EPA totals per ESPN in playoff games since 2006: 16.9 vs. 2021 Bills (13 Seconds Game) and 15.4 vs. 2019 Titans (AFC-CG)
- Highest QBR in a Super Bowl-winning postseason since 2006 – 2019 Patrick Mahomes, 89.1 (he has three of the top five Super Bowl runs)
Mahomes is also a master of the more esoteric records, or positive things that no one else has ever done.
- In 2019, Mahomes became the first quarterback to lead three consecutive double-digit rallies to win each playoff game by 10-plus points, including a 24-point comeback against Houston where the Chiefs won by 20 points.
- It was the first time in NFL history a team trailed by 20 points in the first half and led at halftime.
- It was the first time in NFL playoff history that a team trailed by 20 and won by 20 points.
- Mahomes is the only quarterback to win a Super Bowl after his team allowed 25 points per game in the postseason, and he’s already done it twice.
- The 2019 Chiefs and 2022 Chiefs both allowed 75 points in the playoffs on their way to winning both Super Bowls.
- Most playoff wins when the opponent scores at least 29 points – Patrick Mahomes, 4 (4-3 record makes him the only player with a winning record, min. 2 wins)
- In his first Super Bowl (LIV vs. 49ers), Mahomes converted a 3rd-and-15 while trailing 20-10 in the fourth quarter for 44 yards to Tyreek Hill – it is the only third-down conversion with 15-plus yards to go in the fourth quarter of any Super Bowl.
- In Mahomes’ second Super Bowl win, the 35 points scored by the 2022 Eagles were the most ever by a losing team in the Super Bowl.
- Brock Purdy became the first quarterback in NFL playoff history to lead three go-ahead drives in the fourth quarter and overtime and still lose the game, because he was facing Mahomes in the new overtime system in Super Bowl 58.
Speaking of esoteric records, Mahomes is also the best ever at getting production out of rookie receivers on the way to reaching or winning Super Bowls. In 2023, Rashee Rice became the first rookie wideout to break 800 receiving yards and win a Super Bowl in the same season as Mahomes’ new No. 1 wideout. He nearly added another to this list with Xavier Worthy producing 638 yards as the de facto WR1 in 2024 after Rice’s injury.
Mahomes is the only quarterback in NFL history to start multiple Super Bowls with a rookie as his leading wide receiver (Rice in 2023, Worthy in 2024). Just 38 true rookies have ever produced 250+ receiving yards (playoffs included) for a team that reached the Super Bowl, and Mahomes was the quarterback for a record five of them, including one during each of his five Super Bowl runs (number is where they rank in receiving yards for a rookie who reached the Super Bowl):
- 3. WR Rashee Rice – 1,200 receiving yards in 2023 (won Super Bowl)
- 8. WR Xavier Worthy – 925 receiving yards in 2024 (lost Super Bowl)
- 12. WR Mecole Hardman – 567 receiving yards in 2019 (won Super Bowl)
- 24. RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire – 320 receiving yards in 2020 (lost Super Bowl)
- 34. WR Skyy Moore – 267 receiving yards in 2022 (won Super Bowl)
The only other quarterbacks to produce even three such rookies are John Elway (Mark Jackson, Orson Mobley, and Ricky Nattiel) and Ben Roethlisberger (Heath Miller, Emmanuel Sanders, Antonio Brown).
The Contract and 2022 MVP Season Records
Back in 2020 after his first Super Bowl, Mahomes signed a record-breaking 10-year contract worth $450 million. The $45 million average value per year broke the previous record ($35M) by $10 million, making Mahomes the first NFL player to exceed $40M per season. By the time he signs another extension, he could become the first player to make $75M per season.
But while that contract looks like a bargain today when you consider what the likes of Trevor Lawrence and Tua Tagovailoa are making, it did eat up a fair chunk of the Chiefs’ salary cap at the time.
In the 2022 season, Mahomes had a cap hit of 17%, beating the previous high for a Super Bowl-winning quarterback, Steve Young (13.1%) for the 1994 49ers, the first year of the salary-cap era.
But even after the Chiefs traded Tyreek Hill to Miami that year, Mahomes put in what is really his best season of them all to win his second MVP after he still clinched the No. 1 seed, 14-3 record, and led the best passing offense without his best wide receiver while setting that total yardage record, among other accolades:
- It only took 57 seasons, but Mahomes is the first quarterback to lead the NFL in passing yards and win the Super Bowl in the same season.
- Mahomes is the first quarterback since Kurt Warner (1999 Rams) to win MVP, first-team All Pro, and Super Bowl MVP in the same year. League MVPs were on a 0-9 Super Bowl run and first-team All-Pro quarterbacks were 0-8 before Mahomes in 2022.
- The 2022 Chiefs joined the 2006 Colts and 2011 Giants as the only teams since 1989 (and likely ever) to win a Super Bowl with a defense ranked lower than No. 15 in points per drive allowed. The Chiefs were No. 21 and won the Super Bowl after allowing 35 points on 10 drives.
- Mahomes set a record for the highest completion percentage in a game with 40+ pass attempts in NFL history (87.8% on 36-of-41 passing vs. 2022 Texans).
- Mahomes and running back Jerick McKinnon set an NFL record by connecting for a touchdown catch in six consecutive games, the first time in NFL history a running back has ever scored like that in more than four consecutive games.
- Thanks to the 17-game season, the 2022 Chiefs became the first team in NFL history to have a fourth-quarter lead in 20 games in a season, and they are the fourth Super Bowl winner to have a fourth-quarter lead in every game in a season.
That season was Mahomes’ finest work, and he even got through the playoff run with a high-ankle sprain suffered in the first quarter of the first playoff game against Jacksonville.
Patrick Mahomes: Historically Competitive and Clutch
Mahomes wouldn’t be who he is without being the best closer the game has seen. We already touched on some of it above, but his ability to perform with the game in doubt, with the game on the line, is second to none at this point of his career.
When it comes to fourth-quarter comebacks and game-winning drives, those opportunities when you have the ball late in a tied or one-score game, Mahomes has the best winning percentages and a high volume of success in those key moments that helped the Chiefs become a dynasty:
- Highest win percentage in fourth-quarter comeback opportunities, including playoffs (min. 30 games) – Patrick Mahomes, 25-21 (.543)
- Highest win percentage in game-winning drive opportunities, including playoffs (min. 30 games) – Patrick Mahomes, 30-21 (.588)
- Most fourth-quarter comeback wins in a quarterback’s first eight seasons, including playoffs – Patrick Mahomes, 25 (tied with Matthew Stafford)
- Including the playoffs, Mahomes tied the single-season record with 8 game-winning drives in 2024, and he is the only player to go 8-0 in such opportunities in a season
- The 2023-24 Chiefs set an NFL record with 17 straight wins in games decided by one score, and Mahomes was the quarterback for 16 of those wins, breaking Tom Brady’s record of 13 straight one-score wins for the 2003-04 Patriots.
- Only four teams in NFL history won seven consecutive games (no gap weeks) by 1-to-8 points, and Mahomes was the quarterback for two of those runs (2020 and 2024 Chiefs; Mark Brunell for the 1996 Jaguars and Kirk Cousins for the 2022 Vikings were the other two).
- During 2019-20, Mahomes became the only quarterback to ever win six consecutive games in which he trailed by double digits, including all three playoff games during his first Super Bowl run
About the only thing better than Mahomes’ ability to pull out a close game is playing well enough to keep the games close. He has helped the Chiefs to some of the most competitive streaks of play in NFL history:
- Mahomes did not lose any of his first 53 starts by more than one possession (8 points), an NFL record
- Mahomes did not lose 40 consecutive starts by more than 4 points in 2021-23, an NFL record that the 2024-25 Eagles (19 games) are only almost halfway to
- Mahomes is 52-0 when the Chiefs allow fewer than 19 points, the most wins without a loss in NFL history for a quarterback
- Behind Mahomes, the 2020 Chiefs (362 points) and 2022 Chiefs (369 points) allowed the most points in NFL history for any teams to win at least 14 games in a season (2020 Chiefs were 14-2 and 2022 Chiefs were 14-3 in a 17-game season)
Finally, the thing that arguably makes Mahomes leading one of the best NFL dynasties ever in Kansas City so impressive is that he’s done it without any super teams.
Five different left tackles in five Super Bowl starts? That’s not ideal. Trading away your best wide receiver and replacing him with journeymen, rookies, washed vets, and still getting to three straight Super Bowls with two wins? Who does that but Mahomes? No 1,000-yard rusher yet in eight years. At least the kicker, Harrison Butker, has been all right.
Sure, you’ll see coach Andy Reid, tight end Travis Kelce, and defensive lineman Chris Jones in the Hall of Fame someday. But what you haven’t seen in Kansas City much is an elite defense. The one year they had one, 2023, it was matched with a battered receiving corps that led the league in drops for Mahomes, and he still had to deliver a game-winning touchdown drive in overtime of the Super Bowl after the defense just gave up another go-ahead drive. It’s the only time in NFL history a defense gave up a go-ahead score, never took the field again, and still won a championship. Thanks, Kermit.
But the only other quarterbacks before Mahomes to win three Super Bowls were Terry Bradshaw, Joe Montana, Troy Aikman, and Tom Brady. They all did it exclusively with top 10 defenses. All seven of Brady’s rings came on teams that were No. 9 or better in points per drive allowed. Mahomes has already won with defenses ranked No. 12 (2019) and No. 21 (2022) to say nothing of the high-scoring playoff wins too.
For one last esoteric record for Mahomes, his ability to win games without the defense forcing any takeaways is also historic and second to none:
- Mahomes is 22-10 (.688) when the Chiefs don’t get any takeaways, and the other 44 quarterbacks with at least 25 such games are all under .500 in their career.
- Mahomes is 5-1 in just playoff games where the Chiefs don’t force a takeaway, which is already the NFL record for career wins.
- Mahomes is tied with Drew Brees for the most career wins (12) in games where the defense forces no takeaways and allows at least 24 points.
- Mahomes just snapped a 9-game winning streak in games where the Chiefs didn’t force a turnover – the second-longest streak in NFL history is five games, which Mahomes tied back in 2022 already.
Even with 2024 being viewed as a down year for Mahomes, he still came closer than anyone in history to pulling off a three-peat. He still led these ridiculous streaks like 16 straight one-score wins, 8-0 at game-winning drives, 9 straight wins without a takeaway, etc. after losing his best receiver in Week 4 and going through four different left tackles with a defense that couldn’t take the ball away.
At the end of the day, it’s about leading your team to victory. All this yammering from fans of the Chiefs’ rivals about things like EPA, the Tush Push, and separation stats, it’s immaterial to the task at hand. They’re all missing the big picture.
Mahomes is one of the most accomplished players in the history of professional football, and he achieved that status before his 30th birthday. What more does he really have to prove?
Kansas City fatigue is the main reason so many people are trying to crown a new team and quarterback. They hate the Chiefs and want this run to be over. But let’s not pretend that for the better part of a decade, we had no real debate. There was a clear answer on who the best quarterback in the game was. The one with the best stats had the records, hardware, rings, head-to-head wins, and the memorable moments to back it up.
Maybe that time is over. Maybe the NFL kingdom is ready for a new king.
But be honest. Do you want to see Jalen Hurts Tush Push his way to a repeat while throwing for 125 yards a game? NFL fans might be begging for a Mahomes revenge tour if they let the Eagles fans get a dynasty going here.
All I know is you should never discount a player who is such an outlier at being this historically great at uplifting teams and winning in the toughest conditions.
Patrick Mahomes: The Best There Ever Will Be?
For the final part of Bret Hart’s famous saying, we have all season to do weekly recaps about Mahomes’ performances and where the Chiefs are in 2025. But this season really isn’t the story at all for Mahomes’ long-term future and his attempt to keep making history and go down as the best to ever do it.
Unless you admit you’re just dying to see it happen, I think it’s very shortsighted to dismiss a team that lost two one-score games to Super Bowl contenders that know them well while they’re missing their two best wide receivers.
Coming back to preseason expectations, this wasn’t meant to be Kansas City’s year anyway. Other teams had better Super Bowl odds, and I already had picked them to start 0-2 with losses in one-score games before rallying to lose in the divisional round in January, which would be their worst outcome in eight seasons with Mahomes.
Knowing things need to change, what matters is how they react to their worst year yet. This team has let some things boil over like a bad running back room, bad luck with injuries and discipline at wide receiver, no real plan to replace Kelce, and a defense looking for leaders and future stars.
Travis Kelce is likely retiring after this year, and maybe that’s for the best as they can move on with a younger athlete looking to make a name for himself. Mahomes will adjust fine.
On the subject of coaching, with Andy Reid turning 68 in March and 47 wins away from Don Shula’s record, we might see a new coach in Kansas City before the end of the decade. That’s not too concerning as athletes like LeBron James and Peyton Manning have shown they can do their thing with any coach, and Mahomes should be the same way. Coaching him will also make the job very desirable, so they should get a good candidate in there. Please don’t give it to Matt Nagy.
Mahomes has time on his side if we’re being fair to him. Tom Brady is his only real competition for the “GOAT” status, and Brady went nearly a full decade between ring No. 3 (2004) and ring No. 4 (2014). So many of his peers won rings in that time, including Ben Roethlisberger (twice), Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, Joe Flacco, Russell Wilson, and of course Brady lost twice to Eli. That didn’t kill the New England dynasty, though. Interesting.
Brady tore his ACL in Week 1 of his ninth season in 2008. Despite the lack of weapons, Mahomes is currently No. 4 in QBR and the Chiefs are No. 4 in yards per drive thanks to his elite scrambling to keep the Chiefs in these games. In fact, it could be pretty fun watching the Chiefs take on an underdog role these next few years should they stop winning the division. More road playoff and wild card games. Don’t forget what they did in 2023 in road playoff games. More chances to make memorable moments for Mahomes’ legacy.
Ranking each Brady season up against each Mahomes season in order, Mahomes has been better than Brady in 7-of-9 seasons already. We’ll give Brady the edge for Year 5 (his 2004 > Mahomes’ 2021) and Year 8 (his 2007 > Mahomes’ 2024). But otherwise, Mahomes clears him in 7-of-9 seasons, and 2009, Brady’s Year 10, saw him lose 33-14 in the wild card round to Joe Flacco after choking away several close losses in the regular season.
After that, Brady won his second MVP in 2010 but blew the first playoff game to the Jets and didn’t actually win his fourth ring until Year 15. So, Mahomes has some time to get comfortable with his receivers if Worthy and Rice can ever get on the field together and produce. They also seem to have found their left tackle solution in rookie Josh Simmons, so that’s a great sign.
Definitely some bad luck with the Rice suspension and Worthy injury delaying the development of this offense as it tries to move into a post-Kelce stage. But from that first 51-yard completion in 2017 to throwing Super Bowl touchdowns to MVS, Kadarius Toney, and Mecole Hardman, hasn’t Mahomes earned that trust to make it work with what the Chiefs give him? A three-game losing streak, with two of them to a team that’s lost once in the last 50 weeks, shouldn’t throw away eight seasons of record-setting quarterback play.
You should appreciate Mahomes, even if you hate the Chiefs. Whether he goes down as the consensus GOAT is probably up to the ring counters, the TV talking heads, and your personal preference. For some of us, he’s already the best quarterback we’ve ever seen play with plenty of unique accomplishments to match. Here’s wishing for another decade of Mahomes magic.
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