KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Nobody has ever thrown for more yards in a playoff game for the Kansas City Chiefs than Patrick Mahomes’ 404 yards Sunday in a 42-21 beatdown against Pittsburgh in the AFC Wild Card round.
Alex Smith, who mentored Mahomes during his rookie season, owned the previous record — 378 yards in a 2013 Wild Card loss at Indianapolis.
Mahomes also tied his own record with five touchdowns, matching the mark he set in the 2019 AFC Divisional win against Houston en route to the Chiefs’ first Super Bowl in 50 years.
“He had a tremendous night tonight,” Reid said. “It didn’t start off perfect, but the thing that’s so great about him is that he doesn’t let things get to him. He just keeps firing when needed and keeps leading all the time, even when things aren’t working well for him or somebody else. He’s got an innate ability to lead.”
Mahomes and the offense struggled to get going on the first five drives — three punts, a tipped pass for an interception and a fumble, which T.J. Watt returned for a touchdown — but the Steelers didn’t stand a chance once he caught fire.
“It’s a blast coming into work every single day with the guy,” Kelce said. “He’s the ultimate competitor and a guy that you want with the ball in his hands, at the beginning and when it counts.”
Despite the early hiccups from the offense, Mahomes kept plugging along as he has in previous playoffs and as he did during the turbulent 2021 season.
“It doesn’t matter if he makes a mistake or somebody else makes a mistake, he goes, ‘We’re coming back and going to get after you,’” Reid said. “He’s very positive that way.”
He threw touchdown passes to Jerick McKinnon, Byron Pringle, Travis Kelce, Nick Allegretti and Tyreek Hill in another signature postseason performance.
No touchdown was more fun than the big-guy TD to Allegretti.
“It wasn’t a special play designed for him,” Mahomes said. “I think he was like the fourth read on that play. ... We kind of just tell Allegretti that he can leak out late, not thinking that we’re ever going to throw it to him.”
But that’s how it worked out in practice and again in the game anyway.
