Patrick Mahomes had the kind of injury to his left ankle that would leave most of us looking for crutches and a bottle of pills. Mahomes did not even want an X-ray. He said afterward that “it’s all in God’s hands,” and because he was in pain, I will forgive him for referring to himself in the third person.
Mahomes left and came back, but the Chiefs are still here. They beat the rising Jaguars, 27–20, and added another sprinkle of legend to the Mahomes era. Now the Chiefs are headed to their fifth consecutive AFC championship game, a stunning achievement, and maybe we can’t tell the whole modern story of this franchise by focusing on one position in one game. But let’s try.
First: Mahomes. He is only 27, which is disturbing because some of us don’t have much left to say about the guy. Take everything you ever wanted in a quarterback, and a bunch of stuff you never dreamed possible, and here he is. He is one of the most physically talented players in history and one of the smartest and toughest players in the league. Saturday, Mahomes earned a superlative that nobody ever thought to dole out before: Most Likely to Make Plays When He Can’t Put Pressure on His Foot.
