Mahomes’ adventurous sequel in Miami reminds us that he’s human. And he amazes anyway
By now, we’ve seen this phenomenon routinely defy gravity and logic.
We’ve long ago watched him redefine what seems possible (especially for a long-suffering fan base that had come to interpret that in the opposite way), with his unique fusion of nuclear arm and acute awareness and creative imagination maximized in collaboration with Andy Reid.
We’ve observed him practically swagger (even if with a limp) off the field moments after sustaining a hideous knee injury and barely flinch while down double-digits in the most pressure-packed games of his life en route to triggering the first Super Bowl triumph in 50 years for the Chiefs.
Albeit figuratively, we’ve witnessed him hoist a franchise and a city on his shoulders.
All of which suggest that it would be hard for him to astonish anyone any more and tends to make us overlook something fundamental about Patrick Mahomes.
Breaking: He is flesh-and-blood and mortal and thus, in fact, fallible.
“He is an actual human being,” as CBS analyst Tony Romo said with a laugh during the broadcast.
And that’s what made the latest entry in his never-ending story all the more intriguing and affirming Sunday at Hard Rock Stadium, where the Chiefs outlasted a resurgent Dolphins team 33-27.
Returning to the scene of their epic 31-20 rally over the 49ers in February, the Chiefs again stormed back from a double-digit deficit with Mahomes ultimately showing the way, some Tyreek Hill lightning, yet another jaw-dropping performance by Travis Kelce and a defense that swarmed its way to four sacks after being shut out in that category over the last three games.
It took every shred of that, and once again some deftly executed keepaway late in the fourth quarter to set up Harrison Butker’s clinching field goal with 1 minute, 13 seconds left, to overcome four turnovers.
And, as it happened, to make up ground from some exceedingly rare gaffes by Mahomes, who entered the game with a 31:2 TD-to-interception ratio this season … only to throw three interceptions in a game for just the second time in his career.
Count the Super Bowl, and five of his last seven interceptions were on this field … but just part of bigger, better overall days when he was pivotal in the most meaningful game he ever played and, on Sunday, in helping secure a fifth straight AFC West crown for the Chiefs.
“I have a love/hate relationship with Hard Rock stadium!” he posted on Twitter after the game, punctuated with three so-called “tears of joy” emojis and later adding, “Appreciate my dogs having my back today! Good team win!”
Mahomes elaborated in his postgame news conference.
“Obviously, the love part, I mean, we won the Super Bowl here, and we just clinched the AFC West. So it seems like every time we leave this city, we have a (commemorative) hat, some type of thing we’ve accomplished,” he said, smiling and adding, “But in the hate part, I have half my interceptions, it seems like, in this stadium.
“Obviously, (the love/hate notion is) a little bit of a joke. Whatever way we win football games, I love it.”
Including those harder-earned like this after his early glitches. The decidedly human touch was all the more a shock to the system because the miscues largely came in a batch early in the game and suddenly had the fleeting feel of an avalanche.
The disturbance in the force started with Miami seemingly anticipating a middle screen, deflecting it and picking it off — the first interception of an intended screen pass in his nearly 200 such NFL attempts.
Next thing you know on the next series, there’s a bobbled snap and a 30-yard sack (!) that the ever-trusty Pro Football Reference Twitter account called “the most yardage lost on an offensive play without a fumble or an intentional safety in our database.”
Then came another interception, and next thing you know the Chiefs are down 10-0.
And NEXT thing you know, they’re leading 14-10 at halftime after Hill’s 32-yard run and Mahomes’ 6-yard touchdown pass to Kelce. Then, wham, a 44-yard TD pass to Hill to open the second half, and Mahomes was on his way to throwing for 393 yards.
Not because he’s super-human, it turns out, but because he somehow reconciles to make the most of his humanity in sticky circumstances. When others might sag or droop, Mahomes stands taller.
“It’s a tribute to his greatness,” Reid said after the game.
More so than anyone in the NFL, Kelce said, “When adversity hits, his level of play goes up. ... We rally, and we follow the leader in that regard.”
When I asked Mahomes what kicks in when that happens, whether he gets angry or determined or some such, here’s what he said:
“I mean, obviously, you get angry: You don’t want to turn the ball over and put your defense in that situation. At the same time I have the ultimate confidence in the guys around me that we’re going to keep battling and finding ways to win football games.”
Noting the complementary nature of this team, with the defense keeping them in the game, he added, “I feel like this team plays better when (our) back’s up against a wall, and that’s a good thing to have about a football team.”
Especially down the stretch for a team that has won its last five games by a total of 21 points. And that trait was handy again Sunday after the Dolphins cut a 30-10 lead (with the help of another interception) to 30-24 and the Chiefs had to at least drain some clock to fend them off.
Instead of just running some clock, though, Mahomes rolled out to convert a fourth and one pass to Hill to help set up the insurance Butker field goal. The play design and the willingness to run it was a function of the abiding trust between Reid and Mahomes, one that underscored the day even when not all was perfect.
And so it was just part of the essence of this game and the latest chapter In the burgeoning book on Mahomes: One that says as easy as it all looks for him, it’s worth remembering that he’s a mere mortal who sometimes has to find his way back, too. Which is even more to appreciate.
This story was originally published December 13, 2020 at 4:24 PM.