Getting the Chiefs to the Super Bowl showed why Patrick Mahomes is the best quarterback in the NFL.
Patrick Lavon Mahomes II is likely to remain in the NFL for another twelve years or so. At age 28, he is already almost certain to get into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The 2023 season will be remembered as one of his best, no matter where his career goes from here.
This is true even if the Chiefs don’t win the Super Bowl in two weeks in Las Vegas, after beating the Baltimore Ravens 17-10 in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday.
On the other hand, his supporting cast let him down for most of the season as they went 11-6 and won the AFC West for an eighth straight year.
Mahomes’ receivers dropped passes along with other big mistakes that cost the Chiefs several games. Rashee Rice, a rookie receiver, showed promise and had a good season, but the Chiefs’ offense missed Tyreek Hill more than they did in 2022.
The Chiefs’ offensive problems were at their worst in December, when they looked terrible at times. The look on Mahomes’ face showed that he was pressing. He looked like he was stressed out from having done it himself.
The Chiefs’ problems were very clear on Christmas Day when they lost 20–14 at home to the Las Vegas Raiders in a game that wasn’t part of a season. The Raiders had only won twice at Arrowhead Stadium, which was built in the last ten years.
That game was the Raiders’ best moment of the season, and it was the final push Antonio Pierce needed to become the full-time coach in Las Vegas.
Travis Kelce, Mahomes’ favorite target at tight end, lost his touch near the end of the campaign and didn’t score in seven games.
There is still no winner in the Super Bowl, but everyone in the NFL thinks Patrick Mahomes is the new king of the league.
The third-year quarterback played another great game on Sunday, which helped the Chiefs defeat the Tennessee Titans 35–24 and move on to the Super Bowl.
Mahomes had a 120 passer rating and completed 23 out of 35 passes over 294 yards, 3 touchdowns, and no interceptions.
He ran eight times for 53 yards as well as a touchdown, giving him another lead in the Chiefs’ rushing game.
The Chiefs have a lot of strong players. The Titans and Houston Texans had a hard time stopping Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce, Sammy Watkins, Mecole Hardman, or Damien Williams.
But Mahomes is the offense’s engine. When the Chiefs fell behind in both games, he turned on the lights and led such electric scoring drives that the other team never got back on track.
Kelce cut Mahomes off in the middle of his interview with Tracy Wolfson after the game and said, “Best quarterback within the National Football League is here, baby, and he proves it every time!”
Boomer Esiason of CBS later agreed with Kelce during the postgame show. Esiason said, “No. 15 has changed the way this franchise works.” “I don’t care what anybody says: he’s the greatest quarterback of the NFL, hands down.”
In the divisional round, the Kansas Chiefs fell behind the Texans 24-0 but scored 28 points in the second quarter to come back. He threw for 321 yards, 5 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions in that game.
On Sunday, Mahomes and his team came back from being down 10-0 to the Titans. At the end of the second quarter, Mahomes threw a ball to Hill almost 30 yards away through a small opening. This is a level of accuracy that not many quarterbacks can match.
As the second half came to a close, Mahomes ran for a touchdown from 27 yards out, breaking a tackle on the way. To get the run going, Mahomes even used a fake head that made the defense move.
Later, in the final minute of the game, Mahomes sealed the victory with a deep pass of 60 yards to Sammy Watkins. This was another example of how good he is when he’s not in the pocket and how long his arm can reach.
With 11 touchdowns and no interceptions in four playoff games, Mahomes is in first place. There’s no doubt that he helps the Chiefs, and he’s only played two full seasons.