It was the defining moment of history. The game is tied. Seventeen seconds left. In the AFC championship game, the Kansas City Chiefs have 3rd-and-4 on the Cincinnati Bengals’ 47-yard line. Patrick Mahomes willed his wounded leg to join his healthy one and gain just enough yards to gain a first down in a predetermined manner.
The Bengal’s defensive end Joseph Ossai then knocked Mahomes out of bounds. Before that mistake, Ossai had played a fantastic game. The additional 15 yards awarded for unnecessary roughness were just enough for Harrison Butker to kick a 45-yard field goal, send the Chiefs to the Super Bowl for the third time in four years, and further cement Patrick Mahomes’ legend.
If this had been a regular-season game, Mahomes would have likely sat out. Or maybe not. Perhaps he is indeed superhuman, as we have suspected throughout his career. Humans who sustain a high ankle sprain, as Mahomes suffered less than ten days ago against Jacksonville, are normally sidelined for at least three weeks. Mahomes, however, is a different breed: there was never the slightest doubt that he would play against the Bengals.
This was a personal matter. Chad Henne was not to be burdened with lifting the Bengals’ allegedly superglued monkey from the Chiefs’ backs. Mahomes would not allow it. If the moniker Burrowhead, which referred to the Bengals’ shocking victory in last year’s AFC Championship Game in Kansas City, were to die, Mahomes would be the one to do it. He did so in fact.
Patrick Mahomes settled the NFL quarterback debate
Mahomes delivered one of the most courageous and inspiring performances ever witnessed by an NFL quarterback. Mahomes is accustomed to passing for more than 300 yards, scoring multiple touchdowns, and leading a game-winning drive.
But doing so on one leg is unprecedented. And doing so on one leg while three of his receivers were injured is an entirely different level.
But Mahomes entered this contest with unmatched determination. He demonstrated what many of us already knew: that Mahomes at 80% or 60% is still superior to every other NFL quarterback.
On 4th-and-1 in the second quarter, he connected with Travis Kelce for a touchdown with a throw that appeared smooth but was dripping with struggle. And Marquez Valdes-Scantling made 116-yard reception after reception. He was the recipient of a flawlessly accurate touchdown pass for which Mahomes had to vigorously push off his right ankle injury.
As with every Bengals-Chiefs battle over the past few years, this one was filled with suspense. The Bengals were creeping back into the game in a manner strikingly reminiscent of last year’s Championship Game.
On 4th-and-6, Zac Taylor called the most audacious play that culminated in a deep completion from Joe Burrow to a double-covered Ja’Marr Chase. Numerous refereeing issues enraged both sides. Yes, perhaps the Chiefs should have been assessed a holding penalty during Mahomes’ run that set up the game-winning field goal.
Mahomes’s demonstration of guts and sheer excellence was unaffected by these factors. The identity of the top quarterback in the NFL has been decisively determined.
Kelce interrupted Mahomes’ postgame interview to make a brief announcement: “Burrowhead, my arse. This is the home of Mahomes.”
I would go even further. This league is Mahomes’.
Player of the week
Chris Jones is a defensive tackle for the Chiefs. Jones joins the list of Chiefs players who disliked the Burrowhead nickname. Before the AFC Championship, Jones had never recorded a sack in a postseason game in his entire career. Jones soon produced two sacks, three tackles for loss, and five quarterback hits in one of the most dominant postseason performances ever by a defensive lineman. On Sunday, Mahomes will be lauded for his performance, but I urge viewers to rewatch this game with a focus on Jones to witness a masterclass in dominant line play. Both men contributed to the Chiefs’ triumph.
