The Inevitability of Patrick Mahomes

Inevitable: unable to be avoided, evaded, or escaped; certain or fated

I cited the official definition because that particular cultural cliche has evolved into such a buzzword. That the actual meaning is perhaps getting lost in the usage. Sports punditry often plays the results. It’s part of the click bait game. However Patrick Mahomes’ most recent Super Bowl has crossed the rubicon of possibilities his career might become. If you take a step back from the narrative making machine and look at the cold hard facts. You begin to see why inevitability is the now the best way to describe his career.

Why now? This is only his third Super Bowl win. He is not even halfway to Tom Brady’s mark. Mahomes has entered the inevitable zone because he simply had no business winning Sunday’s game. Frankly, he had no business even appearing in the game. If Mahomes goes onto win eight titles. This might still go down as his greatest feat.

Yes, I know he had a really good defense this year. However that overlooks why he even needed that defense. He didn’t need it in previous campaigns. All season, Mahomes hypothetically was at war against himself. Playing with one hand tied behind his back. If you were to ask a fan with even a rudimentary knowledge of the game what a quarterback needs to succeed. Most would just give you the basics. Someone to block and someone to catch the ball. Simple enough? Mahomes did not have a scintilla of that support all year. When you toss in the schedule he faced. Once again Patrick Mahomes has entered the zone inevitably that only the true legends inhabit. Let’s break it down piece by piece

Offensive Line

Anyone want to take a gander at who led the league in penalties this year? That would be the Chiefs starting right tackle Juwaan Taylor. A cool 20 penalties for 115 yards. A league high eight false starts. As someone who wrote extensively on the Detroit Lions week 1 win. That number could easily be much larger. Social media was having a heyday as Cris Collinworth pointed out that Taylor was literally starting early and off the line of scrimmage on almost every play.

Now why would Taylor do that? First game jitters against Aidan Hutchinson? Possibly, but that ignores another aspect of this statistical feat. Of Taylor’s penalties, six of them were holding. Also a a league high. While we are at it, Football Database has three “other” penalties listed. Guess what, no other offensive lineman has that many. Juwaan Taylor pulled off the triple crown of bad offensive lineman play.

Well thank goodness Andy Reid is a no nonsense coach who got him out of there before the Super Bowl— nope. There he was as Chase Young flew by him for an early sack. Once again why was Taylor committing so many penalties? That man is 6-5 330 pounds, so I am say this as quietly and as respectfully as possible. He just might not be very good. You start early or off the line because you can’t handle a speed rusher. The adage is that there is holding on every play. Taylor seems to have taken that to heart.

Should we talk about Creed Humphrey’s snaps on Sunday? The one member of the unit who grades out well, right guard Joe Thuney did not play with an injury. This was bleak. Offensive lineman don’t necessarily have statistics. However by the few that are readily available. Patrick Mahomes just won a Super Bowl with the arguably the worst offensive line in the league. However, there is one unit whose production is easily the measurable…

Wide Receiver

Let’s get the obligatory stat out the way early. Who led the league in dropped passes… drum roll please…. The Kansas City Chiefs with 44. Once again like Juwaan Taylor, the fun started in week 1. As Kadarius Toney gifted Brian Branch a pick six. There is not enough space to go over the unit that I have dubbed the “Flying Roberto Durans” (look it up kids, it’s not a complement)

Toney, Marquez Valdez-Scantling, and Mecole Hardman really turned the act of fumbling and dropping passes into an art form. I can’t really criticize Andy Reid for keeping this crew around. He did exile Toney. You can’t cut an entire unit in the middle of a season. Heck the Chiefs were led in drops by the “dependable” duo of Travis Kelce and Rashee Rice. So of course when the Chiefs needed a touchdown in the big game they stuck to Kelce and Rice— nope

The whole world watched as MVS hauled in his second half TD like an offensive lineman who had just declared himself eligible on a trick play. Mecole Hardman’s game winner will go down as the most historic Pop Warner reception in Super Bowl annals. I can’t imagine what was going through Mahomes hands as he released the three yard bomb. What was going through Hardman’s head? I think he summed it up best himself.

I always appreciate honesty. But that’s right he said “I blacked out when I caught the ball” Well at least he came to his senses quickly and realized the gravity of what he did— well not exactly.

Ladies and gentlemen, Patrick Mahomes’ 2023 supporting cast in a nutshell. Thankfully he didn’t really have to play anyone on this run. I mean Brock Purdy was a 7th round pick and…. wait is that Josh Allen’s music?

The Opposition

Everyone heard the stat going into the playoffs. Patrick Mahomes had never faced a road playoff game. Well how about this new age stat. DVOA stands for (Defense-Adjusted Value Over Average) In the 21st century it is generally held as the gold standard for determining if a team is good. The slate of Miami, Buffalo, Baltimore, and San Francisco holds the highest DVOA in playoff history.

It’s also just a number. Numbers don’t take into account Josh Allen on the road in cold Buffalo. They don’t take into account a two time MVP in Lamar Jackson in rainy Baltimore. By both spreadsheet and eye test. Patrick Mahomes just sliced through the thickest gauntlet than any quarterback has faced in NFL history. No other way to say it.

Conclusion

He did it all with a Swiss cheese offensive line. A receiving corps whose basic human consciousness could be questioned at times. His number one threat is the same age as Rob Gronkowski. Speaking of Travis Kelce, at least he was focused and had nothing going on off the field. Nothing, not even the biggest star in the world could derail Patrick Mahomes this year. He was the definition inevitable. Will that inevitably help him surpass Tom Brady? Heck I wonder about the ultimate winner in Bill Russell. Quarterback’s are playing into their forties now. Mahomes isn’t even thirty yet. When you look at the totality of what Patrick Mahomes fought through this season. Honestly, anything is possible.