Long before Week 7 finally comes to a close with a Monday Night Football doubleheader, the Kansas City Chiefs have already outlasted the Minnesota Vikings to claim the throne as the NFL’s last unbeaten team. KC had to go through the San Francisco 49ers to get there, putting a rematch of Super Bowls LIV and LVIII.
Afterward, Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes took to social media to puff out his chest.
Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes Sends Message to Celebrate Victory in Super Bowl Rematch
Winning Time for Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs
Mahomes completed 16 of his 27 pass attempts for 154 yards with 0 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. He also had 39 yards and 1 score on five carries and shared a post on X that perfectly encapsulates the mindset Mahomes has held more often in recent seasons.
W. ⏰
— Patrick Mahomes II (@PatrickMahomes) October 21, 2024
Whether those emojis mean “winning time” or something else, the message is clear to anyone who watched Mahomes deke his way for 33 yards on the ground in the third quarter.
Onlookers also saw Mahomes lower his shoulder into a defender on his touchdown run.
Patrick Mahomes Embraced Game-Manager Mindset
Mahomes was a game manager in plenty of moments, especially on a day when his passes found the opposition more than they found the Chiefs’ end zone. But he has spoken candidly about accepting that, particularly because he understands what is on the other side of the ball.
“Whenever they’re rolling …, I have to kind of manage my game,” Mahomes told reporters in January. “That’s stuff that I’ve learned throughout the season is, even if we’re not having the success that I want to have, [if] the defense is rolling getting stops, let’s just take the safe choice: get the ball out of my hand, don’t turn the ball over, and let’s go win a football game.”
Mahomes was 7-for-11 for 57 yards in the second and fourth quarters versus the 49ers, scoring 14 points in both quarters.
Mahomes has completed a career-high 67.9% of his passes through seven weeks.
However, the three-time champion and two-time MVP is tracking to finish the season with the fewest air yards per completion, the lowest touchdown rate (since becoming the starter), and the worst ESPN Total QBR of his career, per Pro Football Reference.
Injuries to his wide receiver corps will not help matters much. But winning is the ultimate salve, and the Chiefs have cornered the market on that in 2024.
Chiefs Not Even Enjoying Best Start in Franchise History
The Chiefs are set on becoming the first team in NFL history to win three straight Super Bowls. Making history is plenty of incentive on its own. But if they need additional motivation to keep up their momentum, they only need to look into their record books.
KC got off to 9-0 starts in 2003 and in 2013. They finished the 2003 season 13-3, falling to the Indianapolis Colts in the Divisional Round of the playoffs.
In 2013, the Chiefs finished 11-5 and lost to the Colts in the Wild Card Round.
They face a daunting slate to get there, with their next three opponents – at the Las Vegas Raiders before hosting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Denver Broncos – a combined 10-10 only because the 2-5 Raiders are dragging the group down.
Main Photo: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images
