Even in defeat Patrick Mahomes seemingly finds new ways to underline what makes him one of the greatest players the NFL has seen. The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback endured a frustrating night on Sunday as his side saw their perfect start to the season come to an end in a 20-3 loss to the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks. Speaking on Inside the Huddle, Sky Sports NFL's Neil Reynolds and Jeff Reinebold hailed further evidence of the 'generational' competitiveness and mentality that has amounted to three Super Bowl victories, five Super Bowl appearances and seven straight AFC Championship Game outings from 2018-2024.
Among the game's flashpoints was a third-quarter fumble by Mahomes himself, prompting a chaotic sequence in which he put his body on the line while chasing down the loose ball. "I know he lost, but Patrick Mahomes is an incredible competitor," said Sky Sports NFL presenter Reynolds on Inside the Huddle. "I want to go back to Super Bowl 50, it was a fumble, Cam Newton stood there and didn't dive on the pile, watched the ball, just watched it, left it.
We were very critical of him in that moment. "There's a part in the game. Mahomes gets absolutely slammed in the back by Derick Hall, fumbles the ball, ball's on the ground rolling towards the sideline.
Mahomes chases it, gets tripped over by another defender, falls flat on his face, gets back up, dives, by which time, it's a melee then, there's offensive linemen, defensive linemen, he dives in there again, disappears under the bottom of the pile and comes out with the football. "They kick a field goal, he gets the ball back, they're rolling a little bit, it gave them energy for a period. I just haven't seen that before, a quarterback so hungry, maybe at his own expense, to get after a football.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Mahomes and the Chiefs, thanks to a lot of help from marquee addition Kenneth Walker III, have rediscovered their spark on offense this year after Kansas City missed out on the playoffs for the first time since 2014 last season. It had been something of a team reborn ahead of their defeat in Seattle, Mahomes teasing shades of his best once more after undergoing knee surgery last year. "I've seen him practice as well at Chiefs training camp three, four times, and on a couple of those occasions there aren't even fans watching," Reynolds continued.
"Bad weather forced the Chiefs inside, in their indoor facility. So it's just a handful of media there. He competes all the time.
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