Patrick Mahomes wasn’t scheduled to play in the Super Bowl this year.
Even though he and the Chiefs were the defending champions, he felt people doubted them at every turn.
They lost their first game of the season to the Lions, which brought questions. Their receivers looked below average.
Travis Kelce had the worst season ever with Mahomes. He lost four of six midseason games. They looked terrible in the loss to the Raiders on Christmas Day.
All of these things combined to make me feel like this year could be a reset year for the Chiefs. Sure, they would make the playoffs, but it felt like they would fall short of the Super Bowl.
Then Mahomes became a playoff Mahomes, and the Dolphins, Bills, and Ravens paid the price.
There should be no doubts about the 28-year-old Mahomes anymore, but the 49ers are a Super Bowl favorite and will definitely give momentum to the Chiefs star.
One wonders if Lamar Jackson being the frontrunner for MVP gave Mahomes anything special going into last week’s AFC Championship game in Baltimore.
Remember when Michael Jordan explained in “The Last Dance” that Karl Malone, who won MVP in 1997, was the reason he made it to the NBA Finals that year?
Mahomes was going to be challenged by other quarterbacks in the AFC. His contemporaries, Jackson, Josh Allen, and Deshaun Watson, were supposed to give him competition. But none of them have reached the Super Bowl.
Up-and-coming players Joe Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa, Trevor Lawrence and Justin Herbert have become new threats, but Burrow is the only one to beat Mahomes in the playoffs, and Mahomes got his revenge last year. .
Even old gunslingers in new places, such as Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers, were considered a threat. But Wilson has been a complete disaster for the Broncos, and Rodgers has yet to complete the pass for the Jets.
Despite all these challengers, Mahomes remains the undisputed king of the most important position in sports. He moved into the history-following category. The most interesting question is whether he can surpass Tom Brady and become considered the greatest of all time.
Mahomes has a chance to do what Brady was last able to do as a quarterback: win back-to-back Super Bowls. The Patriots, led by Brady, won back-to-back Lombardi trophies in 2003 and his 2004. No one has achieved it since.
Mahomes and the Chiefs had a chance to repeat what Brady’s Buccaneers thwarted in 2020. Mahomes compared that shot this week to his shots in back-to-back games.
“It was a completely different season, and I think that was the biggest thing,” Mahomes said. “The last time we tried to win back-to-back games, it was like we won. I think we were 14-1 last week, we took a break, we lost that game, and it was like we made the playoffs. Never. It wasn’t easy, but we played well, so we were like, “Oh, let’s do it again.” We’re going to go out and play again, and we’ve had a rough time.
“This year it was just the opposite. We’ve struggled all season, but we had to keep getting better and better. That’s what I’ve always preached. …Right now, I’m satisfied with getting there. I don’t think we’re just playing. This is a great football team that we’re playing against and it’s going to require our best football, like it’s been the last three weeks that we’ve been playing.”
These Chiefs feel like a more complete team than any team Mahomes has ever been a part of. Steve Spagnuolo’s defense was great in the playoffs. Isaiah Pacheco gives Mahomes a better running game than he’s had in the past.
The cast around him in the passing game isn’t as star-studded as it was a few years ago, but you have to wonder if that matters with Mahomes at quarterback.
It’s safe to say that no one expected Mahomes to be here. However, he has faced more allegations this year than he has since 2019, and he has kept them all quiet. Mahomes feels like he’s on a mission, but the only thing stopping him from adding to his already impressive resume is the 49ers.
