‘Showtime’ suits Mahomes well
Young Chiefs QB living up to nickname on, off field
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Patrick Mahomes spent the offseason riding horses through the surf and throwing passes on the beach, swapping jokes with Jimmy Kimmel and hob-knobbing with celebrities on the red carpet.
He’s the cover boy for this year’s Madden video game. The Texas Tech die-hard who followed his alma mater all the way to the Final Four. The sports fan that suddenly pops up at the Stanley Cup Final, then makes sure to congratulate the Blues on his uber-popular social media channels.
Mahomes also is the face of the Chiefs, the reigning NFL MVP and without question the biggest star to land in the City of Fountains since George Brett was playing third base for the Royals.
“He’s a rock star,” Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce said.
One that was largely undiscovered just a year ago.
Mahomes was anointed the starter last offseason, when the Chiefs shipped Alex Smith to the Redskins, but his arrival at training camp came with plenty of question marks: Could his big arm buck the trend of Red Raider quarterbacks flaming out in the NFL? Could he run coach Andy Reid’s complex offense? Could he live up to the expectations that come with being a first-round draft pick?
He answered all those questions in the season opener against the Chargers. In the awkward setting of a soccer stadium in Los Angeles, the mop-haired Mahomes threw four touchdown passes without a pick.
He threw six TD passes the next week in Pittsburgh. Three more against the 49ers. And he led the Chiefs to a 5-0 start before a road loss to the Patriots, only to rebound with four more wins.
Mahomes shattered franchise records for completions (383), yards passing (5,047) and TD passes (50).
He finally led the Chiefs to a home playoff win, their first in nearly two decades, and nearly beat the Patriots in the AFC title game. The teams headed to OT tied 31-31, the Patriots won the coin toss and marched downfield for the winning TD, denying Mahomes a chance with the ball.
Mahomes spent the offseason working on his footwork, which has always caused him trouble. He often gathered his wide receivers for impromptu passing sessions under the hot Midwestern sun. And he even made time to throw some passes to them when they took a quick trip to Turks and Caicos.
Mahomes watched the Red Raiders in basketball’s national semifinals in April, then landed on the Madden cover later that month. He signed a series of sponsorship and endorsement deals, walked the red carpet at the ESPY Awards, and left Kimmel laughing on his show just a few weeks ago.
That nickname of “Showtime?” Sounds about perfect.
His magnetic personality and otherworldly talent also has had a big impact on the Chiefs. Record crowds showed up for the first two days of training camp last weekend, where his No. 15 jersey outnumbered all others by about 2-to-1, and ticket sales for the upcoming season are skyrocketing.
Mahomes admits he had fun during the offseason. But he’s also glad to be back on the practice field — his happy place — where he is surrounded by teammates all working toward the same goal.
“When you first come to camp you expect to win the Super Bowl,” Mahomes said, “so coming in with that same mentality of, ‘We’re going into each and every day getting better,’ because in order to get to that lofty goal of the Super Bowl, you have to make sure that you maximize each and every opportunity that you have.”