Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes has come a long way since his stint with the Texas Tech Red Raiders. An average of 152 QBR and 93 touchdowns in three seasons were more than sufficient to get him picked by the team that couldn’t make it past the Divisional Round in the past few decades. Former QB specialist and head coach of the Eagles, Andy Reid, joined the team back in 2013 and was looking for a break, and he and the management soon realized that Alex Smith wasn’t the answer. After letting Mahomes start only one game in 2017 and a loss in the Wildcard Round, the Chiefs decided to trade Smith to the Redskins, and the rookie QB was set to get his starting role for the next season — and the rest, as they say, is ‘history’.
Right after Smith’s departure, the first-year starter led the team to the AFC Championship, breaking the 24-year-long drought. However, Patrick Mahomes’ Super Bowl appearance didn’t come to fruition after falling short against the New England Patriots. But he did manage to secure the NFL MVP award that season. So, the question remains: how did he fare in the next five seasons?
Super Bowl LIV
In 2019, Mahomes once again clinched the divisional title and was set to face off against the Texans. After securing a win with a 51-32 final score in the Divisional Round and clinching the AFC Conference title against the Titans with 35-24, the second-year starter led the Chiefs to the Super Bowl LIV against the San Francisco 49ers.
With the two-time Super Bowl-winning QB, Jimmy Garoppolo, at the helm, the Niners were inches closer to tying the Patriots and the Steelers with six Super Bowls each. However, Patrick Mahomes and his Chiefs came into the matchup as favorites. Interestingly, the NFL MVP did live up to the hype and delivered quite the beatdown to the Niners.
Although the Bay Bombers were leading by 10 points in the third quarter, Mahomes managed to gain a 4-point lead in the fourth quarter with two passing touchdowns. Damian Williams secured the game with a 38-yard rushing touchdown, resulting in a final score of 31-20. Mahomes celebrated his first Lombardi win with a total of three touchdowns, including a rushing score from one yard. In addition, he threw for 286 yards and gave away two interceptions.
Super Bowl LV
After his first Super Bowl, the Chiefs Kingdom found their messiah in Mahomes. He once again dominated the AFC conference in 2019 and secured the top seed with a 14-1 record under his belt. He almost seemed unstoppable after not only defeating the Browns in the Divisional Round but also obliterating the Bills in the AFC Conference Championship with a 38-24 score.
He was then slated to lock horns with the league’s GOAT, Tom Brady, in the Super Bowl LV. It was also time for payback, as Brady was the only QB who had bested him in the playoffs, notably the 2019 Conference Championship in Mahomes’ debut season. It’s also worth mentioning that Mahomes put up a tough fight for the five-time Super Bowl champ, who only tallied one touchdown in the entire game, in contrast to Mahomes’ three passing scores. Brady even threw two interceptions when the Chiefs QB remained interception-free.
Nevertheless, Brady once again came on top in the Super Bowl LV. This time, TB12 didn’t only lead the matchup with three passing touchdowns but also the Bucs’ secondary managed to limit Mahomes throughout the entire matchup. Mahomes and the Chiefs managed to rake in only 9 points, with three field goals by Harrison Butker.
Before coming into the matchup, Mahomes was on the back of 25 wins out of 27 games and not only a Super Bowl but also two MVP trophies under his belt (one NFL MVP and one Super Bowl MVP). His offensive line in the big game was so disappointing, it left the entire Chiefs fanbase in tears. And his 52.3 percent passer rating was no help either.
The Chiefs’ defense was also abysmal and failed to make enough plays against the Brady-led Buccaneers. With a final score of 31-9, Brady to this date is the only QB to have a 2-0 playoff record against the Mahomes-led Chiefs.
Super Bowl LVII
In the following season, Patrick Mahomes once again played exceptionally well, leading his Chiefs to the promised land, the AFC Championship, after beating the Steelers and the Bills in the Wildcard and Divisional Round, respectively. However, he fell short against the Joe Burrow-led Bengals in a narrowing loss of 24-27. It was a disappointing matchup for the Chiefs’ QB, but he would soon have his revenge.
In the 2022 season, the Chiefs no longer had their star wideout Tyreek Hill on the roster. There was no shortage of doubts around Mahomes as well, who went on to record his career-high 5250 yards and 41 touchdowns, 9 less than his career-best from 2018. In the postseason, the Chiefs were first set to clash against the Jaguars in the Divisional Round, when their star QB suffered a brutal ankle injury after a botched tackle that should have ended his game right there and then.
However, Mahomes not only played through his pain; fans also got to witness the sheer level of competitiveness when he was spotted in a heated exchange with Coach Reid on the sidelines in the freezing cold weather. He even hurled his jacket onto the ground after getting a no-go to return to the field.
Despite this, Mahomes still took the field and won the bout with a final score of 20-27 and a berth in the AFC Championship against the Bengals. Mahomes had just one week to get his ankle fixed before taking on his biggest conference rivals with Joe Burrow at the helm. And surely, fans still remember the banter session with the Cincinnati mayor, who had an unconventional way of roasting Mahomes. It sure was something!
However, despite the odds, Mahomes and the Chiefs defeated the Bengals and secured a spot in the Super Bowl against the Philadelphia Eagles.
This Super Bowl game will always be remembered as one of the most intense postseason matchups in football history. The first quarter started with a rushing score from Jalen Hurts and a passing touchdown from Mahomes, with the score at 7-7.
Then, before the second half, the Eagles managed to gain the lead by 10 points after Hurts racked up two more touchdowns, coupled with a field goal. Mahomes failed to put any points on the scoreboard but helped Isiah Pacheco narrow the lead to only 6 points by the end of the third quarter.
Going into the final quarter with a Lombardi hanging in the balance, Mahomes made an unbelievable comeback and tallied two touchdown passes with 9 minutes left in the clock. Hurts wasn’t going to let that slide and added a 2-yard rushing touchdown, equalizing the score at 35-35 with only 5 minutes remaining in the clock.
In a nail-biting turn of events, the two-time MVP went on to lead a 12-play drive that took only five minutes. Followed by Mahomes’ 26-yard scramble and a knee inside the 10-yard line, Butker was presented with the game-sealing moment. And he did exactly that with a beautiful kick and winning the Super Bowl LVII.
In the current season, Patrick Mahomes has once again led his team to the Super Bowl after a moderate regular season, but a dominant performance in the postseason. He will lock horns against the Brock Purdy-led 49ers in less than two weeks. If the two-time MVP is able to clinch Super Bowl LVII, he will mirror the Patriots’ back-to-back victories in 2003 and 2004.
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