In a NFL season bursting with subplots and narratives, the Kansas City Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes have been one of the stories of campaign so far.
The second-year quarterback has seemed hell-bent on shocking the NFL at every opportunity this year.
Read more: Chargers mount incredible comeback vs Chiefs on Thursday Night Football
From throwing touchdowns as if they were confetti to breaking records at a rate of knots, words to describe his impact this season have long run out.
Andy Reid's offense has facilitated the emergence of what looks sure to be a bonafide NFL star and the Chiefs top the league charts in terms of points scored and points per game, with 499 and 35.6 respectively.
The impact the Chiefs head coach and starting quarterback have had this season has not gone unnoticed in the NFL circles. On Thursday night Dez Bryant suggested the duo's influence on the game could match the levels reached by Bill Belichick and Tom Brady or Sean Payton and Drew Brees.
Call me crazy..I think @PatrickMahomes5 and Andy Reid can have that Brady, Belichick Payton,Brees affect on the game
— Dez Bryant (@DezBryant) December 14, 2018
My opinion
"Call me crazy […] I think Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid can have that Brady, Belichick, Payton, Brees affect [sic] on the game," the former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver tweeted.
Comparing a head coach-quarterback duo to Belichick and Brady is as high as praise gets in football. In 18 full seasons in New England, the duo have reached the Super Bowl eight times, delivering five rings and shaping Brady into arguably the greatest quarterback to ever play the game.
Payton and Brees have not reached the same lofty heights but they nevertheless got their hands on one Super Bowl title. During his time in New Orleans, the latter has broken records with impeccable regularity and this season he became the NFL's all-time passing leader, breaking Peyton Manning's record of 71,940 career passing yards.
Together with Brady, he became one of only four quarterbacks in NFL history, alongside Manning and Brett Favre, to throw 500 touchdown passes in his career.
The Saints are 11-2 and few would bet against them representing the NFC in Super Bowl LIII on February 3, while Brees is widely considered the only man who can derail Mahomes' MVP bid.
However, while it is hard to disagree with Bryant's optimistic view of the Chiefs' future, Kansas City must take care of the present first.
Exciting as the Chiefs have been this season, they are yet to mathematically clinch home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, having losing to the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday night.
Leading by 14 points with four minutes left, the Chiefs allowed 15 unanswered points to lose 29-28. The defeat means they are now tied with the Chargers for the best record in the AFC and are still favorites to secure top seed in the conference, as they currently hold the tiebreaker over the Chargers.
Under Reid, the Chiefs have long been criticized for having a soft underbelly in the playoffs, losing 45-44 to the Indianapolis Colts in 2013 after blowing a 38-10 third-quarter lead.
Last year, they relinquished a 21-3 halftime lead over the Tennessee Titans to lose 22-21.
The Chiefs head coach will be desperate to rectify the record this season and in Mahomes he could have the right man to cure Kansas City's postseason malaise.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Dan Cancian is currently a reporter for Newsweek based in London, England. Prior to joining Newsweek in January 2018, he ... Read more
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