Embrace Greatness. Embrace Patrick Mahomes.
Does he gets calls from officials? Sure. But it's obvious the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback has crawled into the brains of all other 31 teams. He's the mountain you must climb. He's special.
Granted, it was always foolish to outright hate the New England Patriots. But those screaming profanities at their TV screens every January could at least pinpoint a source of furor. Be it a character or a controversy. The Darth Vader head coach, who seemed miserable 24/7. The quarterback, whose life was too good to be true. People never hid their jealousy of the man with a Brazilian supermodel wife worth of $400 million, the beautiful family, a 14,000-square-foot mansion in Massachusetts, a $14 million condo in Manhattan, a growing “TB12” fitness empire.
Then, there were the cheating allegations. Spygate and Deflategate both tipped public sentiment a darker direction.
The Patriots won… and won… and won… and it increasingly drove the majority of fans mad.
By the time this team reached its ninth Super Bowl in 18 years, Patriots Fatigue reached its apex and players central to the dynasty didn’t even bother to fight it. Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, Julian Edelman, went full heel. Ahead of a 37-31 overtime win in the AFC Championship, Brady declared himself “the baddest mother—ker on the planet.” After the win, he smirked alongside Gronk to “Bad Boy For Life” and told Chris Hogan, “I’m too old. You’re too slow. We’ve got no skill players. We’ve got no defense. We’ve got nothing.” I’ll never forget the scene inside the visitor’s locker room. Players reveled in their role as the NFL’s official villains.
All knew that America wanted to see the home team that the Patriots stunned in that conference title game.
A young MVP quarterback named Patrick Mahomes.
A gregarious head coach who couldn’t win the big one named Andy Reid.
A Kansas City Chiefs franchise that had just won its first divisional round playoff game in 25 years.
Uh, now?
The Chiefs will now play in their fifth Super Bowl in six years. En masse, there’s a growing loathing sentiment when it comes to the sport’s latest dynasty. Animosity is natural if your team’s been whacked by the don. Here in Western New York, it’s as if bad blood merely shifted from Brady to Mahomes, from the Patriots to Chiefs. There are minor annoyances, to be sure. Nobody can escape the “Fumblerooski” commercials, the NFL’s Taylor Swift obsession or Cris Collinsworth all but filing the paperwork to adopt Mahomes as his son. But as Super Bowl LIX closes in, objective consumers of pro football should take a moment to breathe and appreciate the sheer greatness we’re witnessing year after year.
Most anger levied his way is Chiefs Derangement Syndrome because, frankly, most people need a villain, a boogie man, a reason to scream at the top of your lungs. Social media becoming so central to all of our lives does not help. But instead of conjuring reasons to hate this team that’ll keep playing for Super Bowls every year, hell, everyone should find a way to enjoy it.
Brady surpassed Joe Montana as the undisputed greatest of all-time.
Mahomes is on a clear trajectory to surpass Brady.
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OK, OK. I can hear you from the 400 level. YES, calls tend to go Kansas City’s way but, no, this organization did not negotiate a deal with the devil and, no, the spotting of a football is not an NFL conspiracy worthy of Congress intervention. In this same AFC Championship against the Buffalo Bills, Mahomes dropped a football when the Chiefs were on the verge of another touchdown. It was the only turnover in the game and KC’s first giveaway in 83 drives — the longest streak in league history. There are bound to be unfortunate breaks both ways in every football game.
What separates Mahomes is exactly what separated Brady. (And then some.)
When given a gift, the Chiefs quarterback smells blood.
Go back to that 2018 AFC title game. Down 28-24, the Patriots faced a third and 10 from the KC 34 with 1:01 to go. Brady threw an interception off Gronk’s hands, which should’ve effectively ended the Patriots’ season. Yet, there was Chiefs edge rusher Dee Ford clearly lined up in the neutral zone. Given new life — the very next play — Brady lobbed a 28-yarder to his tight end up the left sideline. One snap later, New England scored a TD. Mahomes (naturally) needed all of 31 seconds to get into field-goal range to force overtime.
Then, one more break went New England’s way: the evil empire won the overtime coin flip. So, Brady then maximized this break. No chance in hell he’d give the ball back to this young whippersnapper from Tyler, Texas. All at the ripe age of 41, Brady converted three straight third-and-10’s to steer the Patriots right into yet another Super Bowl.
This is Mahomes’ superpower. He has now won an NFL-record 17 straight one-score games and, no doubt, there’s good fortune marinated into this streak. Leo Chenel’s blocked field goal vs. Denver and Todd Bowles’ horrid clock management in Tampa Bay come to mind. But if we could hook all opponents up to polygraph tests and ask if Patrick Mahomes gets inside of their heads late in the fourth quarter, the needles would be jumping. This sense of fear is now the No. 1 factor at play. It’s the same exact dread that’d loiter in the conscience of every golfer on the back nine during Tiger Woods’ prime.
Hook one shot into the rough… and you knew Tiger would pounce. Anxiety builds. And builds. And now gripping that 5-iron a little tighter, Sergio Garcia inevitably self-destructs on the 17th hole.
Opposing coaches and defenders alike — to some degree — experience the same collapse vs. Mahomes.
By all accounts, he’s also a loving husband who won’t get chased out of his home with a golf club for serial cheating.
Once Tiger’s scandalous private life blew up in the public, he lost this bulletproof aura on the course. His professional life directly suffered. Other pro golfers no longer feared Tiger. That aura evaporated. Hard to see the same spontaneous combustion in Kansas City. Nor should we expect a physical demise any time soon. Mahomes, 29, has a game that’ll age marvelously through his 30s. He’s proven he can win with any style of quarterbacking — freestylin’ outside of the pocket, stationary inside of the pocket, with Tyreek Hill at WR1, with JuJu Smith-Schuster at WR1. Healthy. Injured. Nothing matters as long as he’s got the ball in the fourth quarter with a chance to win. The only two occasions in which Mahomes truly bled in the big moment was Super Bowl LV vs. Tampa Bay (running for his life) and the second half of the 2021 AFC title game vs. Cincinnati.
Otherwise, he’s been perfect when perfect is required.
Ahead of last year’s Super Bowl, we tried to investigate this magic through the eyes of those who’ve always known the quarterback best. This competitive wiring has always been 1 of 1. His high school football coach, Adam Cook, put it best in saying Mahomes “was constantly competing” from childhood on. He was never a cookie-cutter quarterback created at 7-on-7 camps. Rather, in every sport, he developed a desire to ruthlessly tear your heart out in the clutch moment.
Didn’t matter if it was over hatchets and hops at a friend’s bachelor party in Nashville. After losing the first game, friends could tell he was pissed. Mahomes became quiet, determined, and he won every single round the rest of the way to take home the miniature trophy at stake.
Didn’t matter if it was a round of golf at Augusta the spring after that Super Bowl loss to Brady’s Bucs. Seconds after receiving a call from GM Brett Veach and head coach Andy Reid that the Chiefs were signing left tackle Orlando Brown Jr., he hit one of the best chips of his life.
“A legendary moment,” says Coleman Patterson, one of the QB’s best friends. “That’s one of the hardest up-and-downs you can get. We’re also at Augusta, which is one of the hardest courses you can ever play in general because of the speed of the greens, the layout of the course, how well it’s kept up with. You could feel another pep in his step. The energy came out of him.
“If you give him a little bit of momentum, he’s going to run with it.”
That’s it. All he needs is a little “momentum” to shift into MJ/Kobe/Montana/Tiger/Brady mode — a call from the Chiefs at Augusta, a controversial spot at Arrowhead last Sunday, a touchback from Sean McDermott in the 2021 divisional round. This theory’s backed by science. When Mahomes took the field for those “13 seconds,” a WHOOP tracking device revealed that his heart rate slowed to a crawl inside the huddle before the critical 19- and 25-yard completions that set up a Harrison Butker game-tying field goal.
When his nerves should’ve spiked uncontrollably, Mahomes did the opposite. He entered his flow state.
He’s here to stay. He’s the mountain all 31 teams must climb.
Speaking separately, the two men leading one of those teams — Brandon Beane and McDermott at One Bills Drive — were sure to give the Chiefs their due as the league’s dynastic power. But they also made it very clear on Thursday that they were not happy with the officiating. After talking to the league, the GM Beane said he still thinks Allen gained a first down on that fourth-and-1 sneak with 13:01 to go. He’s got a valid point. McDermott admitted that he told his players beforehand “you’re not going to get calls” against Kansas City. Maybe he’s got a point, too. But here’s thinking the Bills should simply approach every game like their running back. When James Cook was asked about the refs on a podcast this week, he simply said: “Fuck that ref shit. You gotta come in there ready to go, ready to play. Don’t give a ref nothing to call.”
Amen, James.
A fact of life is that all stars in all sports get calls.
On the most iconic shot of his career, Michael Jordan pushed off on Bryon Russell’s right buttocks. It happens. The league’s regular-season MVP, Karl Malone, shouldn’t have let MJ swipe the ball from his hands on the right block seconds prior. Ahead of this AFC title game, I asked Bills defensive tackle Jordan Phillips about all those flags Mahomes draws from officials and he correctly pointed out that his own quarterback — Josh Allen — plays the same “role.” He even compared both QBs to LeBron James flopping for calls in the NBA. “That’s just the way that sports is nowadays,” Phillips said. “And if you’re going to get the call, why wouldn't you use it?” Even the staunchest Allen defenders (raises hand) must admit his game is laced with well-timed LeFlopping.
The greater factor? Mahomes has Canton-level coaching. Other teams do not. You heard from the Bills players here at Go Long. Right guard O’Cyrus Torrance admitted they were completely unprepared for Steve Spagnuolo’s fourth-and-5 blitz. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo masterfully set the Bills up. Then there’s defensive end Greg Rousseau admitting Reid ran plays they never even saw on film, like Mahomes’ touchdown run after The Spot. Buffalo defenders were totally fooled as KC’s right tackle pulled to the left and Mahomes ran right. Surely, the Bills are not alone in this regard, but they’re still a team that was talented enough to beat the Chiefs in four straight regular-season games. Coaching goes awry in January.
In addition to these two plays, Chiefs safety Nazeeh Johnson let the cat out of the bag to Mad Dog Radio in saying that Kansas City knew Allen always ran his QB sneaks left of center. The Chiefs completely sold out.
“Every time we see him in the QB sneak formation,” Johnson said, “we know he’s coming to (our) right side. Every time. It’s a hundred percent, 10 for 10. He’s going to that side.”
Asked if the Chiefs were prepared for Allen to sneak up the middle or to his right, Johnson flatly said no. It would’ve been disaster for KC.
“If they would’ve self-scouted a little bit,” he continued, “then they would’ve gone to the opposite side and they probably would’ve had it with more of a chance. We sold the farm on what they like to do on film.”
A forever rule of thumb in pro football:
Players win games.
Coaches lose games.
What a swell time for the other 30 teams to study how Kansas City and Philadelphia arrived at this Super Bowl rematch. We’ll spend all next week in New Orleans bringing you stories on both teams. The clearest path to championships — always — is the pairing of a top 5 quarterback with A+ coaching. Again, we’re seeing that the Mahomes + Reid + Spags math is lethal for all opponents. These Chiefs are essentially the San Antonio Spurs in their prime They use the regular season to gradually piece together an identity that’ll win in the playoffs.
And like Brady before him, Mahomes is the primary energy source. This quarterback’s postseason numbers (67.8 completion percentage, 5,557 yards, 43 TD, 8 int., 581 rushing yards, 7 TD for a 17-3 record) actually incinerate Brady’s numbers.
I suppose that brings us to one stark difference between today’s Chiefs and yesterday’s Patriots. Everybody in Kansas City — owner Clark Hunt to Reid to Veach — understands that Mahomes is the energy source. Not even the Patriots had this advantage as a franchise. To the bitter end, Bill Belichick viewed himself as the center of that universe. Perhaps, Old Man Bill could’ve squeezed out another Super Bowl or two by swallowing his ego.
That’s no problem for Reid, who’ll likely surpass Belichick as the greatest coach ever.
We should all get used to the Chiefs hoisting hardware on a midfield dais. Even if the scene includes a 35-year-old Travis Kelce screaming like an 18-year-old frat boy. And even if it’s through gritted teeth for fans of the Bills, Texans, Bengals, Ravens, Eagles, 49ers, any team flattened by Mahomes in the final minutes of a playoff game.
Opposing owners should take notes.
All fans of the sport should appreciate greatness.
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I can’t hate them either like I, with a passion, hated the Pats. For me it’s two reasons. 1. Reid seems like much less of an ass than Belichick (it’s a low bar I know). 2. Mahomes consistently makes plays no one else can that you just have to admire. I still don’t “get” Brady. Obviously he was one of the best ever but I don’t remember even a single “wow” moment from him. I’m sure there were but I can’t recall any. The play I remember him the most for is the “tuck rule” fumble which just gave me another reason to hate. 😀. I’m really looking forward to this game. Eagles just had better be up by 2 scores if Mahomes is the last one to get the ball.
Nice column! Am I biased? Sure I am (Chiefs fan since 1990 & I write Chiefs Chronicles on Substack), but I loved hearing it from the Bills point of view. That James Cook quote was 100% correct- with a team like the Chiefs you can’t leave it in the hands of the refs and hope you win. You want to beat the Chiefs? Then you can’t just lean on what’s worked for you all season. If the Bills had gotten just a little bit more aggressive/creative with their play-calling, things could’ve very well worked out in their favor. During the game, I honestly thought they were going to win.
Do the Chiefs sometimes get benefit of the doubt/“Protect the Face of the League” penalties? Absolutely. Every superstar player/great team in every league gets/has gotten those from time to time. It should also be noted, though, that there are terrible calls in literally EVERY game in the NFL. It’s amazing how people hyper-focus only on calls that go the Chiefs way. I’ve tried explaining the scope and impossibility of keeping a conspiracy that big a secret, but true believers in the Mahomes/Kelce/Reid/Swift/Satan Pentaverate won’t listen to reason.
There are two penalties (I’m sure there were many more) that went against KC before they became a dynasty that are burned into my brain- the ridiculous Chris Jones roughing penalty that took away a strip sack/fumble recovery against the Raiders (the Chiefs won anyway) & the egregiously horrible call by Jeff Triplette (who Chiefs fans had long claimed was biased against the Chiefs and who retired after that game) in the Chiefs playoff loss to the Titans in the 2017 playoffs. His absurd call that Marcus Mariota’s forward progress was stopped, took away a Derrick Johnson sack/forced fumble (that the Chiefs recovered) and continued a drive that led to a Titans FG in a game that the Chiefs lost by a single point.
Bad calls happen all the time, but there’s something else at work for the Chiefs that people tend to ignore. In the playoffs, every aspect of that team, from players to coaches to the lowest Gatorade person (do they have a job title?) cranks up to a level that other teams can’t seem to match. The Chiefs always seem to make not only that one extra play that their opponent can’t, but also enough fewer mistakes to make a difference in the outcome of the game. Good coaching counts for a lot and Chiefs have probably the greatest Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator duo in the history of the league, not to mention one of the best Special Teams coaches ever.
Combine that coaching with Patrick Mahomes (who is well on his way to becoming the greatest QB in NFL history), Travis Kelce (probably the best TE in NFL history, all things considered), ascending and dynamic speedster WR Xavier Worthy, a great interior O-Line (love the trio of Thuney/Humphrey/Smith!), Chris Jones (often under appreciated but a dominant DT on a HOF trajectory), a very young All-Pro CB in Trent McDuffie, solid up and coming players (like “Furious” George Karlaftis), and good role-players (too many to list) filling out the rest of the starting Offense and Defense and you’ve got a recipe for great success.
As for me, I’m just trying to tune out the anger and Chiefs hate. I was a loyal and patient fan for 25+ years, waiting and hoping for this success (never imagining this level of success, TBH) and I’m going to enjoy it for as long as it lasts.