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Patrick Mahomes’s career start should not be taken for granted.He added another chapter to his legend Sunday night vanquishing his, and the Chiefs’, nemesis from Cincinnati. He threw a touchdown to Travis Kelce rolling hard to his right. He threw for another while stepping up in a collapsing pocket to find Marquez Valdes-Scantling in the end zone for a 19-yard touchdown on third-and-10. And when his team needed him most, he scampered for five yards and drew a flag for a late hit to set up Harrison Butker’s 45-yard game-winning field goal that delivered the Chiefs to their third Super Bowl in four years. And he did all of this playing on a high ankle sprain.
Statistically, this wasn’t the best we’ve seen of Mahomes, although it very, very good (he finished 29-of-43 for 326 yards, two scores and a 105.4 rating).
But as far as guts and determination and will to win? This one will stick with the people in Kansas City. For his part, and for all the treatment Mahomes got, Andy Reid said his quarterback essentially took any idea of his not playing off the table by refusing to miss even a single practice rep during the week.
“People don’t realize how hurt he was,” Chiefs GM Brett Veach told reporters afterward. “We all saw the injury. High ankles are terrible injuries, and sometimes guys miss two, three weeks, and he was out there and running for a first down and a big play in the game that got us in field goal range.
“But it just adds to an already great legacy.”
In five years as a starter, Mahomes now has played in five consecutive home AFC title games, won three of them and will be gunning for a second Super Bowl title in two weeks with a second NFL MVP trophy almost certainly to be his in the days before that.
The other part of this? He’s doing without Tyreek Hill, and with a team that’s leaning on a lot of rookies, which is something we wrote about Friday. For the second consecutive playoff week, nine of the Chiefs’ 10 draft picks were active, with four starting. Isiah Pacheco had 85 scrimmage yards on 15 touches. Skyy Moore had three catches and a big punt return that set up Butker’s clincher. Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson played crucial roles at corner, and George Karlaftis had a sack.
And all of it works because of the guy taking the snaps.
Even if he’s not 100%.
