Patrick Mahomes stole yet one more Tremendous Bowl look from Josh Allen.
No, no, do not get me incorrect. I do not imply that the refs stole a Tremendous Bowl. I am speaking about Mahomes, the 24-karat-gold quarterback within the Golden Period of quarterback play.
That is imagined to be the perfect that quarterbacks have ever performed, a deeper pool than when Tom Brady and Peyton Manning tore up the league — even when, up to now, Brady stays the best ever. (Although … Mahomes is intent on catching up.)
Allen is a generational expertise, with the arm of John Elway and the legs of Cam Newton — however not one of the Tremendous Bowl appearances. Why? Mahomes. Lamar Jackson is in contrast to every other QB we have ever seen, with a set of presents so distinctive that it feels unfair to match him to any of the good QBs. However once more, Jackson has no Tremendous Bowl appearances. Why? Mahomes is healthier.
For Lamar, it is an all-the-time downside. He is 1-5 towards Mahomes. For Allen, it is a playoff downside, with a 4-1 file towards Mahomes within the common season and a 0-4 file towards Mahomes within the postseason.
These data fail to mirror the superlatives with which we might rain on Jackson and Allen.
However there isn’t any doubt: Mahomes is healthier.
And even worse for these two QBs, he is larger.
He proved that once more within the Chiefs’ 32-29 win over the Bills at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday night time within the AFC Championship Recreation. Mahomes has received 9 straight playoff video games, the second-longest streak within the Tremendous Bowl period. He has received 17 consecutive one-possession video games (together with the playoffs), the longest successful streak of this type in NFL historical past.
There was quite a bit that went into this Tremendous Bowl look for Mahomes and the Chiefs. Steve Spagnuolo, Kansas Metropolis’s defensive coordinator, dialed up an excellent blitz on the Payments’ closing fourth-down conversion try and Allen and his offensive line appeared confounded. Even with none time to throw, Allen acquired the ball into the air and close to Dalton Kincaid, who dropped the try.
Mahomes did nothing there, proper?
The Chiefs then drained the remaining 1:54 with an enormous run from Isiah Pacheco and a terrific dump-off reception from Samaje Perine, who ran 18 yards after the catch on a 17-yard reception.
Not a lot to see from Mahomes.
If this recreation occurred in a vacuum, it might be simple to take a look at it and say Mahomes had little to do with closing it out. However you would be ignoring the Chiefs’ go-ahead drive the place Mahomes acquired his crew into field-goal territory. You’d even be ignoring his 245 passing yards, 43 dashing yards and three touchdowns.
However most of all, you would be ignoring the large image.
Mahomes is a heartbreaker. He is a better. He is a stone-cold winner. In a way, he is grasping. With an insatiable starvation. He has no reservations about ensuring there aren’t any Tremendous Bowl appearances obtainable within the AFC. All of them must be his.
Even in case you’re a Chiefs fan, you’ll be able to pity what follows in Mahomes’ wake. Simply have a look at what he did to Allen, holding again tears in a postgame press convention.
Are you able to think about how irritating it should be? Rolling the boulder up the hill (and making progress within the common season) however ready for it to fall on you (within the postseason)?
How can Allen discover confidence that he’ll ever beat Mahomes? He is by no means performed higher in his profession. And but he could not win this recreation the place he was afforded a superbly good alternative to place the Chiefs QB away. How do you decide your self again up from that?
However that is what nice QBs do. They kill the goals of others.
They do not dwell on the feelings of others. They only preserve gathering wins.
Mahomes is constructing a résumé to be the best of all time. Similar to Brady saved Tremendous Bowls away from Manning, Drew Brees and Philip Rivers, Mahomes is obstructing his AFC friends. And that ruthlessness is how Mahomes is making his method up the checklist of greats.
Mahomes is second in playoff wins (17) — however he is not far behind Brady (21). Mahomes has three Tremendous Bowl wins and, if he wins his fourth, he would tie Joe Montana, second solely to Brady (seven). If Mahomes wins in Tremendous Bowl LIX, he’ll do one thing nobody else has finished: the three-peat. It is onerous to doubt Mahomes and the Chiefs will win — even after the Eagles put up 55 factors within the NFC Championship.
There’s nonetheless work to do, nevertheless.
Mahomes should proceed to construct his legacy by devouring that of Allen. And Jackson. And Joe Burrow. And C.J. Stroud. (Mahomes is simply getting began there.) And Brock Purdy.
And Jalen Hurts.
That is proper: Hurts is Mahomes’ subsequent sufferer. It wasn’t greater than two years in the past when Mahomes beat Hurts in Tremendous Bowl LVII. Can Mahomes do it once more?
He is the NFL’s omnivore, as unflappable, ruthless and constant as Pac-Man. And with each victory and each new heartbreak for an opponent, the Chiefs QB solely appears to get stronger.
Previous to becoming a member of FOX Sports activities as an NFL reporter and columnist, Henry McKenna spent seven years masking the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports activities Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Comply with him on Twitter at @henrycmckenna.
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