Patrick Mahomes by David A. Aretha

Author:David A. Aretha
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Sports & Entertainment
ISBN: 9781438197920
Publisher: Infobase Publishing
Published: 2020-12-16T03:54:43+00:00

MVP

Mahomes (15) throws a touchdown pass to wide receiver Tyreek Hill (10) on December 30, 2018.

Source: Newscom.

In the 2018 opener at San Diego, Mahomes' magic and team speed were the difference—a theme that would play out week after week that season and the next. Coach Andy Reid and Mahomes loved to utilize speedy receivers—either on deep balls in which they blew past their cover man or in open space so they could race downfield after the catch. In the first quarter against the Chargers, speed-burner Hill returned a punt for 91 yards for a touchdown and caught a slant-pattern pass that resulted in a 58-yard touchdown. Mahomes finished with 256 passing yards and four TD passes, earning the AFC Offensive Player of the Week Award.

The next week at Pittsburgh, he won the award again by completing 23-of-28 passes for 326 yards and six touchdowns, becoming the youngest player in NFL history to throw a half dozen TDs in one game. Kelce, the six-foot-five tight end, caught two of the touchdown passes. He, like Hill, would earn All-Pro honors at season's end.

After the game, USA Today's Steve Ruiz analyzed Mahomes' play, emphasizing how much he had matured in such a short time. The Chiefs had numerous weapons—Hunt, Hill, Kelce, and more—but Mahomes deserved credit, Ruiz said, for getting the ball to them. He showed poise in the pocket, leaving only when he had too. If the primary receiver wasn't open, he quickly turned his focus to his second option—a rare ability for such a young QB. He was also using his eyes to manipulate defenders (look one way, throw another, similar to the no-look passes he delivered as a basketball point guard). And of course, he was throwing accurately and minimizing mistakes—no interceptions in his first two games.

With each passing week, millions more Americans were realizing that something special was developing in Kansas City. The Chiefs won their first five games, including a tight Monday night win over Denver after Patrick converted a key third down with a left-handed pass. They then battled the powerful Patriots in New England on Sunday night. Patrick hooked up with Tyreek Hill on a 75-yard touchdown play late in the game, and the extra point tied the score at 40-40. New England won on a walk-off field goal.

The Chiefs bounced back and moved to 9-1, then lost an epic Monday night shootout to the Los Angeles Rams, 54-51—the highest-scoring Monday night game ever. Reprising his old Texas Tech days, Mahomes threw for 478 yards and six touchdowns. "He's incredible," Rams quarterback Jared Goff said afterwards. "He's the toughest guy in the NFL to defend right now, including Drew [Brees]."

In a 27-14 win over Baltimore on December 9, Mahomes performed a pair of magic acts. In the first half, he completed a 17-yard pass to Demarcus Robinson without even looking at him. "It's pretty much a no-look pass," he told reporters afterward. "I just trusted D-Rob was going to be there."

Then, with 1:29 left in the

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