Chiefs' Mahomes hits the road for first time in AFC playoffs
Patrick Mahomes has done just about everything in his NFL career, particularly when it comes to the postseason.
Five straight AFC title games. Three conference championships. Two Super Bowl titles. One shattered helmet.
Mahomes will try something entirely new Sunday night, though, when he leads the Kansas City Chiefs into Buffalo for the divisional round of the playoffs. His previous 15 AFC postseason games have been played in the friendly environment of Arrowhead Stadium, including a pair of wins over the Bills, so Mahomes never has been forced to go on the road.
“It kind of is what it is,” he said Wednesday. “I've been lucky enough to play a lot of games at home, at Arrowhead Stadium, and things have fallen that way. Now we get to go on the road to a hostile environment, and one I have not played in with fans in the stands. But it's what you want to do when you grow up watching these games.”
The only time Mahomes has played at Highmark Stadium was in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic saved him from having to tune out all of those Bills fans. He threw for 225 yards and two TDs in leading Kansas City to a 26-17 win that day.
The reason the Chiefs are hitting the road following their wild-card win over the Dolphins is in part because of a rare offensive offside penalty on Kadarius Toney in their regular-season game against Buffalo last month. The call wiped out a miraculous play in which Travis Kelce lateraled to Toney for what would have been the go-ahead touchdown in the final minutes.
The Bills wound up winning, eventually secured the No. 2 seed and that relegated Kansas City to the No. 3 seed.
It might not be such a bad thing that Mahomes is going on the road, though. He has a higher completion percentage, throws for more yards per game and has a significantly better quarterback rating during road games in his career.
He's even taken eight fewer sacks away from home, despite playing in two more games.
Patrick Mahomes' previous 15AFC postseason games have been played in the friendly environment of Arrowhead Stadium, including two victories over the Bills.
Asked to explain that one, Mahomes replied: “It's just Coach (Andy) Reid preaches communication.”
“You have to have nonverbal communication when you're on the road. We preach that,” Mahomes continued, “and then not letting anything be too negative or too positive, just going about your business the right way.”
All of that bodes well for the Chiefs. So does this: Mahomes is better in the divisional round than any other round, going 5-0 with 11 touchdowns, no interceptions and a completion rate of 70% that is well above his career average.
REPORT: IRSAY FOUND UNRESPONSIVE IN DECEMBER >> First responders found Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay unresponsive and struggling to breathe in early December when they responded to an emergency call from inside the home, TMZ.com reported Wednesday.
The online outlet cited police records from Carmel, Indiana, a northern suburb of Indianapolis, that detailed the Dec. 8 incident. TMZ.com said the police report revealed Irsay had a “blue skin tone” when they arrived and he was treated with Narcan, a medicine that can reverse an opioid overdose. Eventually, he was transported to a hospital.
Irsay has a history of addiction to pain killers and has publicly addressed the problems he has faced, most recently
NFL PLAYOFFS
DIVISIONAL PLAYOFFS
Saturday's games
AFC: (4) Texans at (1) Ravens,
1:30 p.m., ESPN, Ch. 7
NFC: (7) Packers at (1) 49ers, 5p.m., Ch. 11
Sunday's games
NFC: (4) Buccaneers at (3) Lions, noon, Ch. 4
AFC: (3) Chiefs at (2) Bills, 3:30 p.m., Ch. 2 in November when he told HBO Sports he had sought treatment at least 15 times.
BROWNS' STEFANSKI SHAKES UP OFFENSIVE STAFF >> For the second straight year, Browns coach Kevin Stefanski has made a major offseason change to his staff.
Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt has parted ways with the team, leaving just days after Cleveland was blown out in the wild-card round by Houston and following a season in which the Browns were ravaged by injuries.
A team spokesman confirmed Van Pelt is no longer with the Browns. Also, Stefanski fired running backs coach Stump Mitchell and tight ends coach T.C. McCartney was not retained after his contract expired.