It probably takes a lot to impress Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes—who, at the age of just 29 years old, has already racked up three Super Bowl rings, two Most Valuable Player awards, three All-Pro nods and six Pro Bowl selections.
So . . . congratulations, Bryce Young!
Young, Mahomes’ counterpart for Sunday’s showdown against the Carolina Panthers, put in one heck of a performance in Week 12. Despite his team taking a 30-27 loss to the defending champs, the 23-year-old gained the respect of many with a confident and sharp 263-yard passing performance.
The many included Mahomes, who was asked about Young’s valiant effort after the game.
“Yeah, I thought he played his tail off, man. He throws a really good football,” he stated. “You know it’s funny—I think Texas Tech was the first one to offer him. He was in eighth grade. And I was at Texas Tech, so I remember watching his highlight tapes then and knew he was gonna be a great player. Obviously, went to ‘Bama and was the first draft pick.
“But it’s been cool to see him bounce back these past few weeks and play some great football, ’cause I know he has it. I’ve seen it for a long time. And he gave us a scare today, man, because he played his tail off.”
Young has played his tail off ever since returning to the starting lineup in Week 8. In his four games back under center, he’s completed 61.0 percent of his throws for 784 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions while leading the Panthers to a respectable 2-2 mark.
Mahomes was then jokingly asked if he was scared by the prospect of an eighth-grade Young challenging him at Texas Tech.
“I was hoping to be out of there before he got there,” he replied. “He’s been a great player for a long time and has won a lot of football games.”
Well, luckily for Mahomes, Young didn’t catch up to him this afternoon either.
