One of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ underrated traits: his memory
The video of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes wearing a microphone during last month’s game against the Broncos quickly went viral.
Fans loved how Mahomes told teammates the winter weather would make for great Instagram posts, that he was a “snow guy” and compared his juke move to one that Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson might make.
What generated less conversation was a brief conversation 96 seconds into the 4 minute, 10 second video.
“Yeah, they went to saw zero,” Mahomes said of the Broncos’ defense. “They’ve ran it one time this year against Indy, like Week 7.”
It was actually Week 8, but the fact Mahomes recalled one play from Denver’s previous 13 games was, well, astonishing.
But perhaps it shouldn’t come as a surprise, because people close to Mahomes have been raving about his memory for years.
“He’s very very smart. He’s got a photographic memory,” Kliff Kingsbury, Mahomes’ coach at Texas Tech, told Fox34.com last year. “The first time we’d teach stuff he’d walk it through and nail it. It’s just about the work ethic and preparation and making that a lifestyle.”
Scientists don’t necessarily believe there is such a thing as a photographic (or “eidetic” memory), but New Scientist said there are people who have what’s known as Highly Superior Autographic Memory (HSAM). These people can remember events from any day of their lives, and the dates they happened.
That sounds a lot like Mahomes, but he told The Star last year he’s never been given a “clinical distinction.”
“My dad has told me I have (a photographic memory). But at the same time, I don’t really know what that is,” Mahomes said. “I just know that if I see stuff I can usually go back and tell you exactly what I see. And I think that’s the same with Coach (Andy) Reid. That is why we are (together) on such a great page during the games.”
It helped during preseason camp in 2018 when Mahomes was preparing for his first full season as the Chiefs’ starter.
Some fans fretted as Mahomes’ interceptions piled up, but offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy wasn’t worried. Bieniemy’s lack of concern wasn’t just because Mahomes could cover up the mistakes with a big arm or no-look passes.
“His recall is just amazing because he can tell you immediately what happened right after that play, as far as coverage is concerned. If you made a mistake, ‘Hey, I should have did this,’ or ‘I should have did that because this defender did something,’” Bieniemy told reporters in August 2018, per Arrowhead Pride. “But that’s the impressive thing and watching him talk through it — it’s been very impressive in watching him work, also watching his development, but that recall is something special.”
Bieniemy’s faith was richly rewarded as Mahomes won the NFL’s Most Valuable Player award after throwing for 5,097 yards and 50 touchdowns in 2018.
Mahomes’ interception rate dropped from 2.1% in 2018 to 1.0% this season. His agent, Leigh Steinberg, also believes Mahomes’ memory is one of his greatest assets.
“That allows him to remember the situation and not make the same mistake again, because he’s seen it and it’s been imprinted,” Steinberg told The Star last year. “That allows him a level of analysis that’s far and above what a normal person would have.”
This story was originally published January 8, 2020 at 9:30 AM.
