SANTA CLARA, Calif. — He got picked off twice, failed to throw a touchdown pass and had a passer rating lower than the speed limit on some Silicon Valley surface streets. And that made sense, given that three of Patrick Mahomes’ most explosive options are sidelined with serious injuries — and his favorite target, a very accomplished tight end with an extremely famous girlfriend, admits he’s no longer as swift as he once was.
So why, in the wake of another Sunday slog that was full of conspicuous blemishes, was the NFL’s brightest star beaming?
The short answer: The Kansas City Chiefs, for all their flaws, are 6-0 and haven’t lost since last Christmas. And the real reason Mahomes couldn’t stop smiling when I spoke to him in the visitors’ locker room at Levi’s Stadium was his conviction that the Chiefs — as they fight for an unprecedented third consecutive Super Bowl triumph — aren’t even close to hitting their stride.
On Sunday, they took on the San Francisco 49ers, the team they defeated in overtime to win last February’s Super Bowl, and took them apart when it mattered most. That’s an ominous foreshadowing of what might happen when the games really count, and the latest reason for the two-time MVP to stay cheerful amid an onslaught of choppiness and blunders.
“It was a battle — but it was fun,” Mahomes told me about an hour after the Chiefs had closed out their 28-18 victory. “We always have a good time, regardless. Sometimes it isn’t easy. But there’s always energy, and it’s always fun.”
If you’re a fan of one of the other 31 teams or someone who’s tired of watching the Chiefs celebrate under confetti, you may have reveled in Mahomes’ and his teammates’ early season struggles. However, if you’re hoping to discover they’re buckling under the stress of trying to win back-to-back-to-back titles, I’m afraid I have some bad news, which I’ll let All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones deliver.
“We’re gonna be so much better,” Jones proclaimed. “There’s so much more we can do.”
And presumably Mahomes — who in six seasons as an NFL starter has won three rings, lost a Super Bowl to Tom Brady and suffered a pair of overtime defeats in the AFC Championship Game (no, that is not a misprint) — will be right back in that mix again come January and February.
Sometimes, we need to remember how wild this all is. Mahomes, at 29, is already an all-time great, and no comedown appears to be forthcoming.
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The dude is as inevitable as winter chill and rock ‘n’ roll riffs derived from Chuck Berry.
In Sunday’s pivotal moments, Mahomes, who’d earlier thrown two interceptions, ramped up his game and looked like a quarterback once again poised to take Kansas City to the promised land.
The 49ers (3-4) had cut the Chiefs’ lead to 14-12 and desperately needed a stop late in the third quarter when Mahomes’ magic sucked the suspense out of the game. Not surprisingly, the takeover commenced with the assistance of tight end Travis Kelce, a future Hall of Famer who turned 35 earlier this month.
Now a crossover star with a massively successful podcast, budding acting career and high-profile relationship with singer Taylor Swift, Kelce is still pretty damn good at football. Though he no longer possesses the athleticism that allowed him to blow by overmatched defenders, he has his ways of getting open.
“I’d be silly to say I was flying around out there like I was in my younger years, for sure,” Kelce conceded. “(But) I feel like I’m still helping my team win, and that’s all that really matters to me. In terms of my agility and all that, I’m running faster mentally. So, I feel like that makes up for it.”
With the Chiefs facing a third-and-6 from the 49ers’ 47-yard-line, Kelce lined up as the widest receiver in a three-man bunch formation, a yard behind the line of scrimmage. He diagnosed man coverage, meaning he’d be tasked with beating second-year safety Ji’Ayir Brown. “And if I can get my guy to think I’m going across the field,” Kelce said, “(Mahomes) feels comfortable throwing me the ball.”
Kelce’s crafty — he’s just Mahomes’ type — and proceeded to beat Brown, sliding across the field to his left before abruptly pivoting and reversing course. As he caught Mahomes’ pass at the 45, Kelce, with his back to the first-down marker, quickly spun in the opposite direction. In doing so, he shed Brown like Steph Curry juking a would-be defender with a crossover dribble, before going hard to the hole for a drive-extending 7-yard gain.
“I’ve still got a little something in the tank,” Kelce said. “I’ve got eyes in the back of my head. I got lucky though. I’ll take all the luck I can f—ing get.”
Mahomes? He’ll take all the Kelce he can get.
“He’s always (elusive),” Mahomes said. “He knows where (the defenders) are before they’re even there.”
Two plays later, Mahomes took the wiggle displayed by Kelce and elevated the art. After receiving a shotgun snap on second-and-7, Mahomes felt the pocket collapse and escaped to his left, where All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner was in position to make a sack. Mahomes, after switching the ball to his left hand, skipped past the diving Warner and got to the boundary, where he once again put the ball in his right hand and held it out as if he might throw a shovel pass.
Then the fun began: With linebacker Dee Winters closing toward the sideline, Mahomes slowed as if preparing to run out of bounds.
“I was gonna just stop at the first down,” he told me later, “but then (Winters) kinda — I don’t know if he got pushed or touched a little bit? — he kinda just fell out of there, so I just kept running.”
Upon further review, Winters didn’t get pushed or touched; he got owned. At the last instant, Mahomes cut back inside and continued for a 33-yard gain, finally stepping out of bounds at the 4 to avoid Malik Mustapha, the 49ers’ hard-hitting rookie safety. It was the longest run of his career, and one that delighted his coach (“Who would have thought we’d be talking about Patrick Mahomes as a runner?” Andy Reid asked rhetorically as he prepared to leave the stadium) and teammates.
“Hey,” Jones said, “it’s Dad Bod season.”
PUMP FAKE PATRICK 🤯 pic.twitter.com/A3u7STewfN
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) October 20, 2024
While Mahomes may get clowned for his physique, that Dad Bod appears to hold some hidden advantages. In Jones’ words, “he packs a little extra cushion for big moments.”
One of those came three plays later, on the third play of the fourth quarter, as the Chiefs faced fourth-and-goal at the 1. Mahomes lined up in the shotgun and, out of an empty formation, coolly executed a quarterback draw. This time, he didn’t shy away from contact: Mustapha met him just before the goal line and delivered a hard shot to the quarterback’s left shoulder. Undaunted, Mahomes extended his forearm, knocked Mustapha to the ground and stared down the defender for emphasis, extending the Chiefs’ lead to 21-12.
That was plenty of cushion for a Chiefs defense which, since last season, has become the team’s strongest unit.
After Kansas City intercepted Brock Purdy for the third time, the last one coming in the end zone with 9:29 remaining, Mahomes directed a 12-play, game-clinching touchdown drive that featured 10 runs.
Say hello to the 2024 Chiefs, who are adjusting to life without injured deep threats Marquise Brown and Rashee Rice, and injured running back Isiah Pacheco, by going old-school.
“Listen, man, it’s a different type of team,” Jones said. “I think it’s taking everybody else a while to catch up. We’re not scoring 40 points anymore. We’re running the ball consistently, and we’re playing tough and fast and hard-nosed on defense.”
In the process, the Chiefs aren’t dominating; but they aren’t losing, either. And as the NFL’s last remaining undefeated team fights through its rough patches, Jones and his teammates are hell-bent on getting better — an approach which, somewhat hauntingly, seems to be working.
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“If we win games, nothing else matters,” said Kelce, who gained only 17 yards on his four receptions. “I’m gonna go into the film room and I’m gonna figure out ways to get better. I’m gonna be honest with myself and tell myself this wasn’t my best performance, and I’m gonna keep trying to find ways to improve. It’s a mentality and a routine that Coach Reid sets. He’s never satisfied until we’re raising that trophy in the end.”
Based on past experiences, that’s what Mahomes expects to happen. In the meantime, he’s confronting his and his teammates’ imperfections head-on — and having a lot of fun in the process.
“It’s really about eliminating mistakes,” Mahomes said as he grabbed his roller bag and prepared to walk to the team buses. Then, referencing an overthrown deep ball to rookie speedster Xavier Worthy on the first play from scrimmage in the second half, he added, “It’s just the little things. I missed that one to Xavier. I’ve got to clean that up.”
If he does, there’s a very legitimate chance this very special quarterback will be smudging up a Lombardi Trophy for the third consecutive year.
(Top photo: Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images)
