Having already tied with him in terms of both Super Bowl wins and regular-season MVP awards, it’s only natural that Patrick Mahomes has already drawn the respect of Steve Young. Even when he still manages to throw a pair of interceptions on prime-time television, he can be sure that the legend won’t grade him too harshly.
During his latest appearance on the Dan Patrick Show, the former 49er was asked whether there’s an NFL equivalent to the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani, to which he promptly suggested the name of Patrick Mahomes. “He’s smart, he’s been around a long time. He is a sophisticated passer from the pocket, which allows him to get the most out of every play,” Young said.
Thanks in part to some better passing, as well as some help from his defense, Mahomes was able to overcome his two turnovers with relative ease. He’d ultimately leave the field with 73.5% completion percentage, 299 passing yards, and three touchdowns in the Chiefs’ 28-7 win against the Commanders.
“And when you get the most out of every play, then you know when the play is dead, when it’s done, or I don’t have a choice, I’ll go, and once I go, that’s a whole other play. It’s not a play that we call, but it’s a play that we get. And then I have another play, a third play, and I am going to run it. And he has that unique ability in his body. It’s not even live, he is gliding,” Young added, highlighting how Mahomes can make three plays in a matter of a few seconds.
Notably, Mahomes is now leading the league in passing touchdowns with a total of 17, his 2,099 passing yards are second only to Justin Herbert’s 2,140, and all of this is occurring while the Chiefs surge towards a three-game win streak that has put them back in the playoff mix.
A 0-2 start to the season, which was preceded by one of the worst losses in Super Bowl history, saw many analysts begin to write the Chiefs off. Through October, however, they’ve seemingly been able to rekindle the witchcraft that helped them to win three consecutive AFC Championships.
Now, heading into Week 9, Mahomes is back to being the betting favorite to take home what would be the third regular-season MVP award of his career. At that point, he’d have one more than Young, the same amount as Tom Brady, and one less than Aaron Rodgers.
It’s also worth remembering that Mahomes isn’t even a 10-year veteran, and that he turned 30 only a few months ago. Suffice to say, it may not be a shock to discover that the Chiefs’ dynasty is still far from being over, and that the past several months have been nothing more than a transitional period.
