After much hype in recent weeks, the Netflix “Quarterback” docuseries is finally here.
Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes, Minnesota Vikings QB Kirk Cousins and former Atlanta Falcons QB Marcus Mariota take the spotlight as their lives are chronicled throughout the course of the 2022 NFL season. We’re getting a behind-the-scenes look at a lot of what into the Chiefs’ Super Bowl LVII season from the perspective of the star quarterback.
Football in July, it’s a beautiful thing.
Below you’ll find some quick thoughts about what we learned from the first episode titled, “The Quest.”
Spoilers ahead:
Patrick Mahomes tries to keep everything in perspective
For all the endorsement deals and media frenzy, in addition to triumphs and tribulations on the football field, Mahomes tries to keep a level head about his situation.
“I always keep it in perspective that this is a game that I love to play,” Mahomes said. “And I’m going to enjoy it.”
He’s one of 32 players blessed to call themselves a starting quarterback in the NFL, but he’s not going to let that weight and responsibility stop him from enjoying his work.
Brittany Mahomes' reveal about Patrick
For a player in the spotlight as much as Patrick Mahomes, Brittany Mahomes had a bit of a shocking admission about her husband.
“Oh my god, he hates taking pictures,” Brittany said of Patrick. “Probably not many people realize that, but he’s not a picture guy. So getting good photos with him is, yes, a struggle.”
It’s probably a good thing to keep in mind if you ever spot QB1 out in public.
On Tyreek Hill's departure
Patrick Mahomes and his teammates were very aware of the talk all offseason regarding the trade of Tyreek Hill. Expectations were that they’d take a step back without him on the team — and they were reasonable.
“We had heard it all offseason that we weren’t going to be the same without Tyreek Hill,” Mahomes said. “I mean, for good reason, because of such a great player that he is. Obviously, losing Tyreek, everybody was kind of ready for the Chiefs to take that step back.”
They were clearly feeling the growing pains early on in the season, but to say they didn’t have the players and offense to make up for it was a mistake.
“People said, ‘Well, we lost our best receiver,'” Andy Reid said. “Which we did, arguably the best in the National Football League. And so, well, we won’t be as good, our pass game will be off. (Patrick Mahomes) just took that and ran with it. He said, ‘Hey, we’re going to work at it.’ The amount of time he spent with those guys is something that most quarterbacks in this league have not done with their players.”
The Colts loss
The gut-punch loss to the Colts in September was exactly what fans thought it was, at least according to Mahomes. The Chiefs got caught flat-footed against a team that didn’t have a very good record.
“We were playing the Colts and at the time they didn’t have a good record,” Mahomes said. “I think guys kind of took that for granted.”
After the game, Mahomes put things into perspective about the quick turnaround needed with a tough schedule and a primetime game against the Buccaneers on deck.
What can change an entire game for Mahomes and the Chiefs?
There are a lot of moments in a football game that can flip momentum from a positive direction to a negative one or vice versa. Sometimes you miss the “easy” throws and it changes an entire game.
“In this league, when you miss on easy, slam-dunk throws that could be touchdowns, usually those things will change an entire game,” Mahomes said.
At the same time, those easy plays have to be sacrificed for the great ones to be made. They used Mahomes’ touchdown flick to Clyde Edwards-Helaire against the Buccaneers as an example.
“I remember, when I hit the sideline, all I could think about is how lucky I was that I made that play,” Mahomes said. “Because if not, we would have really would have lost points on that drive.”
Raiders week, Maxx Crosby and Week 5
Mahomes likened Raiders week to a college football rivalry.
“You have a hatred toward that team,” he said. “And you can feel the energy is just different.”
As for Maxx Crosby, Mahomes detailed the rivalry and mind games they play on the field.
Netflix's Quarterback is here, and so is @PatrickMahomes 👀 pic.twitter.com/o9481nl9lp
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) July 12, 2023
Seeing this competitive side of Mahomes come out on the field in a way we’ve really never seen before is incredible.
The comeback win against the Raiders in Week 5 was really a bit of a tilting point for this team during the course of the 2022 NFL season. Mahomes said it helped build the grit that they’d need in the latter part of the season.
The key to greatness
Mahomes dropped a little bit of wisdom at the end of the first episode, providing insight into what he believes makes a player and a team great.
“After the game, I always think about the plays that I miss,” Mahomes said. “Win or lose, I can win a game and have great stats. But you go back to those plays, and think, ‘If I made that throw at that moment, it could have been even better.’ You’re always going to look at the positives and enjoy those, but I think looking at the negatives and figuring out ways to be better on those. Learning from those are going to make you great.”
We’ve always known Mahomes to be a bit of a perfectionist, so it makes a bit of sense to see that he obsesses over the plays that he missed.
