Mahomes where the art is for Chiefs
COMEBACK MAGICIAN SET TO CAST SPELL ON BENGALS
EVEN by his own Superman standards, last week’s win for the ages was special from Patrick Mahomes.
Backed up at his own 25-yard line with just 13 seconds left on the clock, the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback somehow masterminded a move downfield that led to a field goal with no time left... and followed that with a touchdown in overtime.
But while the rest of the world marvelled at how he pulled a rabbit from his hat to knock out the Buffalo Bills from the NFL playoffs last Sunday,
Mahomes soon had other things on his mind.
“I started focusing on Cincinnati when I came in on Monday morning,” said Mahomes of the team that now stands between the Chiefs and a third consecutive Super Bowl appearance.
“You kind of celebrate with your family for that big win that we had.
“It was an awesome game we will remember for ever but we’re not done. We’re trying to go out there and get to the
Super Bowl. This a great team we’re going up against. They’ve already beaten us once this year so I turned the page quickly. I’m ready to go.”
Mahomes was ice-cool in the pressure situations of that late score and then the sudden-death drama of overtime when one slip can end your season, but he says it was no ‘lucky escape’.
“I’ve been in these situations before. I’ve played in some big games and had to make some comebacks and I have the team-mates to do it.
“I know what it takes to go out there and find a way to win. We prepare for those moments throughout the season.”
The Chiefs won the Super Bowl two years ago and were beaten in it last season, so started the current campaign highly fancied.
They got off to a slow start, losing four of their first seven games but have won 11 of the last 12, losing only to the
Cincinnati Bengals – who they face tonight. But Mahomes says there was never any doubt in the camp, even in the dark days.
He said: “I saw the persistence and the swagger. Guys didn’t hang their heads, they just wanted to get better. We don’t want to come up short. We want to keep this process going.”
Mahomes’ opposite number for the Bengals, Joe Burrow, is very aware that the Chiefs are capable of winning from even a big deficit.
Burrow said: “You always want to get out to a strong start and put some points on the board early and control the game.
“You certainly can’t let a team like this get out in front of you.”