Is three games enough to compare Patrick Mahomes with NFL greats? Yes.

By several measures, Patrick Mahomes has delivered one of the greatest opening bursts by a quarterback in NFL history, as a first-year starter or otherwise.

He’s the first player to throw 10 touchdown passes in his first three starts, dating to his debut in Week 17 last season — and he didn’t throw a scoring pass that day.

His six touchdown passes against Pittsburgh on Sunday matched Len Dawson’s Chiefs’ record and they were the most ever against the storied Steelers.

Mahomes tossed four touchdown passes in the Chiefs’ opener and is one of five players in NFL history to throw at least four touchdown passes in each of the first two games of a season. The Bucs’ Ryan Fitzpatrick also has accomplished this feat in 2018.

Amazing stuff.

“It shows you how high a level he’s playing at,” said coach Kyle Shanahan of the 49ers, who face the Chiefs on Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium. “Whatever the records are for the touchdowns he’s going for, that is unusual. That shows you how high of a level he’s playing.”

How does it compare to the fast starts of other NFL quarterbacks, and does Mahomes’ tiny sample size have the power to forecast career success?

In 2014, footballperspective.com posted a blog using analytics to determine how long it took quarterbacks to be identified as top-tier players or above average from the beginning of their careers. Two who broke from the gate in full stride were Dan Marino and Kurt Warner.

Marino became a starter in the sixth game of his rookie season in 1983 and threw 20 touchdowns with six interceptions and owned a passer rating of 96.0.

The next season he authored one of the greatest seasons in history, setting NFL records for passing yards (5,084) and touchdowns (48) while leading the Dolphins to a Super Bowl.

Warner was cut by the Packers, stocked shelves at a grocery store, caught on with an Arena League team and became a starter with the St. Louis Rams at age 28. In 1999, he threw for 41 touchdowns and led the Rams to a Super Bowl victory.

Both players are enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Among other quarterbacks who hit the ground running are the Packers’ Brett Favre in 1992 and the Eagles’ Donovan McNabb in 2000. Both were in their second NFL seasons and made the Pro Bowl in their first year as starters. Another common link: Andy Reid, who was Favre’s position coach and McNabb’s head coach.

Comparisons to quarterbacking greats occurred before Mahomes became the starter, and have picked up now that he’s off to a torrid start.

“Everybody’s different,” Reid said. “All three are very unique. One’s in the Hall of Fame (Favre) and one should be. They’re both top notch, they’ve both already put their name on it. Now, time will determine what (Mahomes) is.”

At the moment, he’s one of the hottest stories in the NFL, the gunslinger who on Wednesday became the first quarterback since Tom Brady in 2011 to be chosen AFC Offensive Player of the Week in successive weeks.

Reid added his praises while attempting to tap the breaks on the enthusiasm over a quarterback who could not have scripted a better start.

“Everything hasn’t been roses,” Reid said. “It looks like it, but that’s not been the case. He has a ton of things to work on.

“All these challenges from these defensive coordinators and personnel, and how he handles all that. We’re in the second week of a 15-year career. I understand the excitement. I get it. When you’re in the grinder like he is, like I am, the rest of the team is, you don’t worry about all that. You’re just trying to get ready for a good opponent coming in here.”

Blair Kerkhoff

Blair Kerkhoff covers the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals and college sports for The Star.

This story was originally published September 20, 2018 at 5:30 AM.