Patrick Mahomes believes he is destined for plenty more titanic battles against Justin Herbert after the two exciting quarterbacks delivered on the pre-match hype as the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Chiefs defeated Herbert’s Chargers 27-24 on Thursday night after Mahomes rallied back from a 17-7 deficit. The thriller was a hotly-anticipated bout billed akin to two prizefighters contesting the world heavyweight title - and the reigning champion defended his title at Arrowhead Stadium.
Herbert finished with 334 yards and three touchdowns to one interception - a costly pick-six scored by seventh-round draft pick Jaylen Watson - while Mahomes was equally mesmerising as he put up 234 yards and a pair of scores. It offered a glimpse into the excellence of these two teams as both franchises harbour hopes of enduring a deep run in the postseason to secure a spot in Super Bowl LVII.
Both the Chiefs and Chargers are popular picks to emerge from an incredibly competitive AFC West and contend for the championship. Kansas City have won the division five times since the beginning of the Mahomes era - and six times in a row - but it appears the team understand the threat to their throne in 2022.
Herbert suffered a rib injury and admirably battled through as he attempted to take down Mahomes with a number of stellar throws, but the 2018 MVP delivered yet another comeback to secure a monumental win. Across both the regular season and the playoffs, this was the 20th game of the Chiefs quarterback’s career in which he has been down by at least 10 points - and he has won 11 such contests.
The most infamous of these turnarounds was his sensational performance in Super Bowl LIV, when Mahomes led the Chiefs to score 21 unanswered points to defeat the San Francisco 49ers en route to collecting the game’s coveted MVP award. It was a case of deja vu for Mahomes against Herbert, as the Chargers lost in overtime in the young superstar’s 2020 debut.
Mahomes understands the talent his rival possesses and believes this is simply the start of a storied rivalry for the ages. Speaking to Amazon Prime Video, the 26-year-old said: “I think every game [against Herbert] is going to be a lot like this one.
“In the games I've played against him in the past, we've gone to overtime twice and it's been an end-of-game situation. It's going to be games like this, and hopefully I can find a ways to win them and our team can find a ways to win them, like we did today.”
Remarkably, Mahomes - a generational quarterback talent - is the only quarterback in the NFL who possesses a winning record in games where he has fallen behind by double-digits (minimum 20 starts). Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady - dubbed the GOAT - is second with a record of 39-61.
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“I want to go out there and win; I don't care how it looks,” Mahomes added. “Tonight was very ugly.
“I’m sure it's not going to have a great film session tomorrow, but we found a way to get a win at the end of the day, and that's all I care about.”
Mahomes may have thought it was ‘ugly’ while Herbert’s injury simply added to the disappointment of falling short. For everyone watching around the world, it was beautiful - what’s not to love about two of the best and exciting players in the sport going head-to-head?
The Chargers will welcome the Chiefs to SoFi Stadium in LA for their next bout on November 20, and NFL fans are set to be in for another treat in this friendly rivalry for the ages.
