Patrick Mahomes is a great quarterback. Believe it or not, this statement feels like an understatement. Ever since this young man entered the league, he has torched opposing defenses since the day he set foot on the football field. Before we speak about his unimpeachable resume so far in the NFL, let's briefly go over his pre-professional career.
Patrick Mahomes II grew up with a father that played baseball. His name was also Patrick Mahomes, who played in the MLB for 11 years. As a result, little Mahomes was also a pretty solid baseball player growing up. He impressed everyone with his ability to pitch. Makes a lot of sense. However, he struggled in a freshman college team game and was taken out of the game. His baseball career never really took off. However, that was the beginning of his career as a QB. Mahomes played 3 years in college from 2014-2016 for Texas Tech. In his first year, he only played 7 games but did not post impressive numbers, just logging 16 TDs and 1,547 yards on just 56.8% completion. He improved spectacularly in his second year playing 13 games and throwing 37 TDs and 4,653 yards on 63.5% completion. His 3rd year was video game-like throwing for 41 TDs and 5,052 yards on 65.7% with one less game to work with than the year prior. His trajectory in college set him up well for the 2017 draft. Despite these numbers, many critics believed that Mahomes was still not NFL-ready. Before the draft, many doubts were circulating about the young QB. Since he played in an air-raid, pass-happy offense in college, many questioned his ability to take snaps under center and make audibles at the line. His discipline and composure were also questioned. As a result, he was picked 10th overall in the draft by the Chiefs who traded up for him. At the time this was seen as a big gamble.
He sat behind Alex Smith for nearly the entirety of the 2017 NFL season. Alex Smith was the starter. Mahomes did start a game on week 17 in a meaningless game vs the Broncos because they already clinched their seeding in the postseason. In that game, he was 22-35 for 284 yards and 1 interception. Not great stats but he made some jaw-dropping throws and it was clear that this kid had arm talent. The Chiefs saw enough in him that they were ready to move on from Smith after the 2017 season where they lost in the Wild Card round 22-21 to the Titans. Before we move on to the 2018 season, we should give Alex Smith a lot of credit for helping develop Mahomes. He was a very talented QB that needed a vet to show him the ropes and how to attack each week from the mental side of the game and Alex Smith was the perfect quarterback to do that. He was one of the more efficient and smart QBs in the NFL and if not for him, those pre-draft statements could have been proven to be true. Now onto the 2018 season. Where it all began.
Patrick Mahomes burst onto the scene and threw 4 touchdowns right off the bat in a 38-28. victory over the Chargers. He then proceeded to win MVP year throwing for over 5,000 yards and 50 TDs. He fell short in the AFC championship vs the eventual champions New England Patriots in the AFC Championship 37-31. A very good first season but now that defenses have had a full year of playing against him, everyone was curious to see how he can respond in year 2 and avoid that dreaded "sophomore slump". In 2019, he threw 26 TDs and 4,000 yards. He felt like a drop-off from his superhuman 2018 season, but those who watched the games knew he was just as effective, and the reason his numbers dropped a good amount was that he missed 3 and a half games due to injury. In the postseason, he helped engineer 3 comebacks from 10+ down and won the Superbowl and Superbowl MVP. Onto 2020. Mahomes threw for 36 TDs and 4700 yards no big deal. The Chiefs cruised to a 14-2 record and the Number 1 seed. They cruised to the Superbowl too. However, they lost Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz in the process, which proved costly vs a ferocious pass rush in the Bucs. The Chiefs got walloped 31-9 and Mahomes played by far his worst game as a pro throwing just over 50% completion and 2 interceptions with no TDs. Even then, people were still talking about how well Mahomes played because he was making some unbelievable throws under pressure. 2021 was the first time Mahomes experienced some real turbulence. The Chiefs were off to a rocky start going 3-4 in their first 7 games. Mahomes in that span was 18 TDs and 8 Ints but that was because of a hot start to the season. In weeks 5-7, he started hitting a rough patch where he threw 4 TDs and 5 ints. He was trying to make the big play all the time and teams were starting to use that shell defense where they put 2 high safeties which neutralized the explosive aspect of the KC offense. Everyone thought Mahomes had been figured out. Well everyone was wrong. Mahomes went 19 TDs and 3 Int the rest of the way as he lead the Chiefs to a 8-1 record down the stretch. Mahomes continued his Superman play in the infamous "13 seconds game" vs the Bills where he played probably his greatest game as a pro in my opinion. However, they fell short in the AFC championship game blowing a 21-3 lead vs the Bengals. Mahomes's second-half play was so poor that it again sparked serious doubt from his critics. He was less than 50% and 2 interceptions with no TDs after a terrific first half where he threw for 3 TDs. So he ended the season with a sour taste.
The 2022 offseason was wild, with many big names moving around including Tyreek Hill leaving the Chiefs for the Dolphins. Everyone thought the Chiefs and especially Patrick Mahomes would take a step back after Hill left. That was not the case. He threw for 41 TDs and 12 ints. The scariest part was that he did it in a way that no one thought he could. With patience. He threw many short passes and this year was by far the lowest amount of deep throws in a season in his 6-year career. He went on to win his second MVP. Then came the postseason where things got a little scary. Mahomes had his ankle rolled up pretty badly on a play which led to him missing the subsequent drive. Many thought he wouldn't be able to come back but my goodness not only did he come back he came back and was effective. He on one leg is still a top 5 QB. He led the Chiefs to a 27-20 victory over the Jags in the divisional and then got his revenge against the Bengals beating them 23-20. The Chiefs would play the Eagles and the MVP runner Jalen Hurts. Mahomes played a gutsy game on one leg once again in the Superbowl throwing for 3 TDs in an efficient 21-27. Did not throw for a lot of yards but it didn't seem to matter. The Chiefs win a thriller 38-35 as Mahomes wins his second Superbowl and Superbowl MVP.
Mahomes Resume(5 Years Playing):
2x MVP
2x Superbowl MVP
3x Superbowl Appearances
5x AFC Championship Appearances
2x Passing TD leader
27-3 Record vs AFC West
If you are still denying his greatness you're just a hater.
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