Patrick Mahomes likes to note that growing up in Whitehouse, Texas, “football was my third sport.”
He ranks baseball and basketball as more important childhood pursuits. His friends believe he was best at basketball — though a professional future was limited at 6’1” — and of course he played both football and baseball at Texas Tech, but was also drafted by the Detroit Tigers. He also played golf, competed in the high jump, and participated in just about every competition that came along.
All this makes his quest to become the greatest footballer of all time even more astonishing, but also provides an explanation.
“Patrick is the poster child for the multi-sport athlete,” said Adam Cook, one of his old high school football coaches.
By doing everything and specializing in nothing, Mahomes focused on one thing: winning. The sports, seasons, and courts would change, but what remained was him and his buddies trying to come out on top.
Sometimes he was a point guard hitting the ball on the break, sometimes he was a pitcher throwing a no-hitter, sometimes he threw one deep into the end zone.
“Just play,” Mahomes likes to say.
And maybe just learning how to win by any means necessary, which is what has defined Mahomes’ career even more than his myriad skills. He’s never been the prototypical professional quarterback, but with Kansas City opening the NFL season on Thursday against Baltimore, he’s on the verge of making history.
The Chiefs are seeking a third straight Super Bowl victory, something no NFL team has ever accomplished. Winning another Lombardi (Mahomes’ fourth overall) in February would give him something not even the other quarterbacking greats have. Not Joe Montana, Troy Aikman, Bart Starr or Terry Bradshaw. Not even Tom Brady.
“You never know if you’re going to win another Super Bowl. That’s just your hope,” Mahomes said this week.
Hope remains strong because of Mahomes. He’s only 28, but the roster around him has changed, coordinators have come and gone, key weapons have aged or moved on. But ultimately, there’s No. 15, who keeps finding his way, especially in the playoffs.
Maybe it’s 13 seconds against Buffalo. Maybe it’s 10 seconds down against San Francisco in one Super Bowl or in overtime in another.
It’s about winning. That’s it. That’s all it’s ever been.
“Because he played multiple sports, the overlap of all those experiences and skills is there in the NFL,” his old high school coach Cook said. “It’s all just one game for Patrick. It’s always been one big game, just on different fields. In high school football, you’re only guaranteed 10 games. Instead, Patrick was always playing something and learning how to win along the way.”
The three-peat won’t be decided on Thursday. Baltimore remains a serious contender in the AFC, but even making a statement this far from the crucible of the playoffs won’t make much difference. Mahomes has a career record of 15-3 in the playoffs because he’s learned what it takes.
For Mahomes, this is just another chance to compete, just one of 17 regular-season opportunities to measure and leave satisfied. He’s learned to pace himself with expectations and enjoy the spotlight he earned by winning it all last year.
This is about the first step.
“It’s just a great opportunity for the guys,” Mahomes said. “To see what it’s like to be on the biggest stage. Obviously you want to play in the Super Bowl at the end of the year, but this is a big stage, too. To get that experience, to play against a great football team, I’m excited for these guys to go there and for the guys who haven’t been here yet to see what it’s like to be on that kind of stage.”
Eyes on the prize at the end, but always focused on the present. History is there for the taking, and perhaps no one has proven better prepared to take it than Patrick Mahomes.
