Patrick Mahomes has accomplished all there is to accomplish in football at 28-years-old and he isn't even close to done yet. With multiple Super Bowl titles and an MVP award under his belt, the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback is resorting to new avenues to challenge himself, exemplified by his behind-the-back underhand pass to Travis Kelce in KC's most recent preseason contest. After a long offseason this play serves as our regular reminder that Mahomes is capable of doing something special every second he is on the field.
That trait is one all truly great athletes share, leading to a tendency to compare such individuals across sports. Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski did just that in a radio interview with 92.3 The Fan. on Tuesday when he compared Mahomes to Steph Curry following a question about the QB's crazy pass.
“You know, it’s funny, you know how Steph Curry changed basketball? I think Mahomes is changing football,” Stefanski said. "You're watching quarterbacks come out and play that style, they comport themselves like him. I wouldn't be surprised if you started seeing that around."
It's not the first time the comparison has been made, but coming off Curry's incredible Olympics run and a month of Mahomes trick pass highlights from camp, it sure does hit home. Both are comfortable stretching the bounds of what the sports world believed was possible in regards to fundamental aspects of their sports— passing for Mahomes and shooting for Curry. Both are capable, at any moment, of pulling off something that will wow even the most grizzled of fans. And, of course, both do so while still elevating their teams and achieving the ultimate goal of winning championships.
However, just like with Curry's moonshots in the final seconds of close games, the behind-the-back passes may remain unique to Mahomes. It's one thing to be able to do it. It's quite another to do so successfully, and often enough that it's considered a good play. All it takes is one gaffe with the behind-the-back pass and every quarterback will be banned from doing it forever.
It'll be fun to see everybody try, though. Nobody has been able to replicate the Curry arc on a regular basis. Perhaps we'll see something different with the Mahomes special.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as AFC Coach Draws Perfect Comparison Between Patrick Mahomes and Steph Curry.
