Mahomes Continues To Turn His Career Into An Era

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes continued to define his career as an NFL era, as he got his 100th win and tied Tom Brady as the quarterback who’s started the fewest games  to get to that win mark. The record win came as Kansas City posted a 22-6 win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, with the Chiefs improving their record to 5-0 in the process. 

Mahomes joked about the landmark record in a piece written by Nate Taylor of ESPN, asking “When did Tom lose another game?” The Kansas City quarterback has been chasing Brady for one record or another for his entire career, but Mahomes quickly followed up by saying it’s “special” and “an honor” to be mentioned in any category with Brady. 

The circumstances were different in this particular win, as the Chiefs went into this game without their top two receivers. Kansas City lost Tyquany Thornton to an ankle injury that will keep him out for several months, and Rashee Rice sat this game out with a hamstring injury. 

But the Chargers are easy pickings for any team that’s playing well, and that’s the Chiefs right now. Mahomes said he was proud of himself for not trying to create too many highlight-reel plays, although he did take an ill-advised stab at one in the second quarter when he heaved the ball blind into the end zone and the Chargers were able to make the interception. 

The Chiefs also took advantage of the Chargers’ offensive ineptness to build a big lead, and they went into halftime leading 19-3. The Chargers could only manage two field goals for the day, and a flat second half from both teams got Kansas City the win. 

Mahomes added that he thinks he’s “gotten better at winning” during his career, and he corroborated what the rest of us saw by noting that “it’s not always pretty.” He’s learned to win without throwing for multiple touchdowns and big stats, and that described Sunday’s win to a T even though his overall numbers wound up being more than decent. 

The quarterback also spread the ball around in this particular win. Xavier Worthy had seven catches for 73 yards, but eight different Chiefs caught passes from Mahomes. He also noted that he’s trying to enjoy the wins, as he mentioned the “uncertainty” that was doubtless a reference to the knee injury that took him out and destroyed Kansas City’s season in the process. 

The Chiefs face a much more serious challenge on the road on Sunday night against the Seattle Seahawks.