We already knew Patrick Mahomes was out of this world.
The Kansas City Chiefs’ talisman, with almost 200 touchdown passes, two Super Bowl appearances (one win), and a likely second MVP all before his 28th birthday, has been captivating us for half a decade now. It seems like every week, he’s pulling off a magic trick, conjuring otherworldly sorcery, making clear he’s already one of the greatest quarterbacks in football history. None of his fellow elite peers — not Josh Allen, not Joe Burrow, not Justin Herbert — can do what Mahomes does.
Full stop.
But what Mahomes achieved Saturday against the Jacksonville Jaguars in a 27-20 divisional round win — while hobbled by an ankle sprain — might be the most compelling chapter he’s ever written in his legendary career. It was the work of a masterful author who always gets us to turn to the next page while we eagerly await what comes next. Let me tell you: It’s rather challenging not to skip to the end of the book and spoil this growing epic out of sheer excitement.
While the Jaguars were an upstart young squad riding the high of a historic comeback, Mahomes and the Chiefs were supposed to smack them around. Beating the Los Angeles Chargers is one thing. Taking Mahomes down in his house, at the peak of his powers, is another daunting task entirely.
But then Mahomes rolled up his ankle early in the first half, and he struggled to move. He’d try to stay in the game, but from a first glance, it was apparent this was not a mere flesh wound a Football Guy could simply play through.
Uh-oh.
For once, Mahomes’ bag of tricks was empty, and the man in the red and gold No. 15 knew what his ailment allowed for. It opened the door for a monumental Jaguars’ upset of the AFC’s top seed and utter heartbreak for a player who expects to shine like no other this time of year.
As Mahomes pondered losing his entire season’s work within a couple of hours because of unfortunate injury luck, you could see him wearing his frustration on his face. It’s not as if he was being subtle. His exasperation was perfectly demonstrated through his body language. When he was told to go to the locker room for further evaluation of his ankle, he was flustered for having to leave a vital playoff game for even a solitary moment.
Patrick Mahomes had to be taken to the locker room and he’s PISSED pic.twitter.com/j4CXVMv3ks
— Arye Pulli (@AryePulliTSP) January 21, 2023
In the least shocking development of the day, Mahomes would still play in the second half. In fact, he’d unthinkably play the entire second stanza as the Chiefs tried to snuff out the underdog Jaguars for good. But even as the superstar retook snaps, the Kansas City offense wasn’t the same without Mahomes’ legs and, in turn, impeccable pocket manipulation.
While nursing a tenuous 17-10 lead, here’s how the Chiefs’ attack immediately fared once Mahomes reentered the game:
- Six plays, 13 yards, a punt
- Three plays, nine yards, a punt
- Five plays (on a stalled drive that began at the Chiefs’ 39-yard line), 29 yards, and a salvaged 50-yard field goal
This game might have gotten away from the Chiefs if not for a terrifying pass-rush performance by First-Team All-Pro Chris Jones and friends. Instead of playing for a spot in Super Bowl 57 next Sunday, Mahomes would have probably been licking his wounds, lamenting the bleak and punishing reality of football that would’ve seen him fall short of adding another championship ring.
Unsurprisingly, the face of the league would not go down without a fight. Even if he was barely mobile.
Once the Jaguars cut Kansas City’s lead to a flimsy 20-17 margin early in the fourth quarter, it was all systems go for Mahomes to respond in the “Ankle Game.” We should’ve realized the following clutch turn of events was coming. We should’ve known Mahomes would actually operate with a hitch but make it appear as if it didn’t matter.
- Boom. An 11-yard strike to Travis Kelce.
- Boom. A 15-yard laser to Kelce.
- Boom. A 16-yard deep toss to JuJu Smith-Schuster in traffic — who wouldn’t have dared miss this play for his hurt QB.
After a few solid runs from Isiah Pacheco and Kadarius Toney, it was put-up-or-shut-up time for Mahomes in the red zone. Anything less than an emphatic six points, and the Jaguars still had a prayer of moving on to Championship Sunday. Operating on one healthy leg, could the NFL’s best QB sprinkle some magic dust to finally close the door his injury left cracked open and put his team over the top?
In a moment that will be played at his eventual Hall of Fame induction in Canton (yeah, I said it) — the answer was a demonstrative yes:
MVS but the S stands for SCOOORE!!! pic.twitter.com/APKHHtKOWQ
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) January 22, 2023
There are no appropriate words to aptly describe the pureed toughness Mahomes put on display Saturday. With various 250-plus-pound men trying to take his head off, he persevered despite his health being at way less than 100 percent. The Chiefs are now in their fifth consecutive AFC title game as a result: the second-longest streak of conference championship game appearances in the modern era.
It is no coincidence that such consistent excellence occurs with Mahomes at the helm. The Chiefs are the NFL’s gold-standard team because they have the NFL’s gold-standard player willing to sacrifice whatever it takes in the name of a fruitful January… and February. He’s not even 30 years old, and he’s already morphed Kansas City into a mid-winter staple for those who keep a keen eye on football.
Whenever Patrick Mahomes, the author, sits down to write out the next rich chapter of his career — perhaps even next weekend — something tells me he won’t be able to top what happened Saturday.
But then again, he’s been known to pen a mind-bending plot twist with regularity, so what do I know? I can’t wait to see what else this all-time talent has in store for us.
