Patrick Mahomes has already put up a Hall of Fame career in his first seven seasons as a starter. We all know the résumé: two-time MVP, three-time Super Bowl champion, three-time Super Bowl MVP, seven straight AFC Championship Game appearances, five Super Bowl appearances, and more “fastest player to” records than there is space to list here.
With a list of accomplishments like that, it seems impossible anyone would question Mahomes’ greatness, but with his numbers down a little the last couple of seasons and the Chiefs starting 0-2 this year, the doubters were out in full force. Mahomes sent them a message vs. the Ravens on Sunday.
While reasonable minds could understand that the Chiefs’ issues at wide receiver and offensive tackle in recent seasons were the main reason for Mahomes’ drop in prolific production, fans of rival teams and anyone looking for an excuse to talk down on Mahomes and the Chiefs jumped at the chance to celebrate his “drop-off.” While Mahomes’ numbers thus far this season weren’t bad going into the game against the Ravens, they continued the trend of the past two seasons where his yards and touchdowns were down.
Patrick Mahomes went off with 4 touchdowns against the Baltimore Ravens
On Sunday, Mahomes went 25-of-37 for 270 yards and four touchdowns. It was his first four-touchdown game since Week 7 of 2023. That was the longest stretch of Mahomes’ career without a four-touchdown passing game. His critics will no doubt point to how decimated by injuries the Ravens’ defense was, but the Chiefs have consistently played down to the level of whoever they were facing in recent years. That wasn’t the case on Sunday.
Mahomes spread the ball around, completing passes to nine different pass catchers, including three or more completions to five different targets. All four of his touchdowns went to different players, and Xavier Worthy proved how valuable he was to the passing attack, bringing in five receptions for 83 yards in his return from injury and looking like K.C.’s next big-time player. If Mahomes looked this good when getting Worthy back, just wait until they get Rashee Rice back in a few more weeks.
The Chiefs’ next four opponents (the Jacksonville Jaguars, Detroit Lions, Las Vegas Raiders, and Washington Commanders) are all currently ranked 20th or lower in passing yards allowed this season, and the Jaguars, Lions, and Commanders are all in the bottom 10 in passing touchdowns allowed as well. So there is reason to believe that Mahomes’ success on Sunday can keep rolling in the coming weeks.
Yes, the Ravens’ defense is reeling, but what Patrick Mahomes needed to break out was confidence in his pass catchers and pass protection. A win and performance like this can absolutely help with that confidence going forward, even against stronger defenses. Mahomes looked decisive and as comfortable as we’ve seen him in a long time on Sunday, and that’s encouraging.
With the return of Xavier Worthy, the emergence of Tyquan Thornton, the ability to pick apart defenses in the short to intermediate part of the field with Travis Kelce, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Hollywood Brown, the improved play on the offensive line, and the return of Rashee Rice looming in a few more weeks, the rest of the NFL should be on notice. Patrick Mahomes is still poised to have his revenge tour in 2025.
Mahomes’ critics were too fast to write him off just because he wasn’t putting up the same prolific numbers he did early in his career. The NFL experts were too quick to write off the Chiefs as a team, with them already closing the gap on the Los Angeles Chargers. The famous quote from Mark Twain, “Reports of my death were greatly exaggerated,” seems appropriate to the Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes after their dominant win and performance against the Baltimore Ravens, and the rest of the NFL should be nervous.
