KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Patrick Mahomes has now thrown for more yards and touchdowns in his first 50 career games than any other quarterback in NFL history.
Even more remarkable, Mahomes has amassed 14,489 yards and 117 touchdowns in only 47 regular-season starts.
He passed a pair of Hall of Fame quarterbacks — Kurt Warner had 14,372 yards and Dan Marino had 116 touchdowns in their first 50 games — for both records during Sunday’s comeback win against the Browns.
Incredibly, Mahomes improved to 10-6 in games during which the Chiefs trailed by 10 points or more. He’s 9-2 in such games since the start of the 2019 season.
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The first hint of Mahomes Magic came in his Monday Night Football debut Oct. 1, 2018, at the Denver Broncos when his left-handed pass made him a legend.
The Chiefs lost the four remaining games that season when trailing by 10 points or more.
But during the 2019 season, Kansas City erased all five double-digit deficits it faced, including during all three postseason games, and went 3-2 in five such games last season en route to another AFC championship.
The Chiefs weren’t able to comeback against Las Vegas at home or Tampa Bay in Super Bowl LV, but they started 2021 with a bang — that’s in large part to Mahomes.
Here’s a look back at Mahomes’ 10 double-digit comeback wins ranked:
Largest deficit: Trailed 10-0 after the first quarter
Lowest win probability: 0.1%
Mahomes’ stats (C-A-I): 24-42-0 for 315 yards
The Bashaud Breeland game. His 100-yard fumble return for a touchdown made the difference in an otherwise lackluster overall performance for the Chiefs.
Largest deficit: Trailed 10-0 after the first quarter
Lowest win probability: 27.6%
Mahomes’ stats (C-A-I): 30-44-0 for 443 yards and 4 TDs
Oakland was overmatched, but Kansas City started slow. Four second-quarter touchdowns passes from Mahomes changed that in a 443-yard performance.
Largest deficit: Trailed 14-3 early in the second quarter
Lowest win probability: 41.4%
Mahomes’ stats (C-A-I): 30-45-0 for 372 yards with 4 TDs
The Panthers showed more fight than expected under first-year coach Matt Rhule, whose squad led 17-13 at halftime.
Mahomes threw three second-half touchdowns, but the Chiefs had to hold their breath as Carolina drove for a game-winning field-goal try that ultimately came up short.
Largest deficit: Trailed 10-0 early in the second quarter
Lowest win probability: 38.3%
Mahomes’ stats (C-A-I): 24-34-3 for 393 yards and 2 TDs
Mahomes tied a career high with three interceptions, including two during the Chiefs’ first three drives as the Dolphins pulled in front 10-0.
Kansas City answered with three consecutive touchdowns, including a two-minute drill before halftime and a 44-yard touchdown bomb on the third play of the second half.
It ultimately ended up being a fairly comfortable — albeit somewhat ugly — win.
Largest deficit: Trailed 17-6 late in the third quarter
Lowest win probability: 15.9%
Mahomes’ stats (C-A-I): 27-47-0 for 302 yards with 2 TDs
Rookie Justin Herbert was a surprise starter for the Chargers, who jumped out quickly to a lead before the Chiefs adjusted.
It took overtime, but Mahomes found a way to pull the game from the fire with a 54-yard touchdown bomb to Tyreek Hill early in the fourth quarter, a two-minute drive for the game-tying field goal then the game-winning field-goal drive in overtime.
Largest deficit: Trailed 17-7 midway through the second quarter
Lowest win probability: 38.6%
Mahomes’ stats (C-A-I): 23-35-0 for 294 yards and 3 TDs
Mahomes did plenty of damage with his arm, but his 27-yard touchdown scamper down the sideline and bouncing off Titans defenders remains the signature moment of the win, which ended a 50-year drought between Super Bowl appearances.
The pinballing touchdown run put the Chiefs in front in the closing seconds before halftime. Kansas City then dominated the second half.
Largest deficit: Trailed 22-10 at halftime
Lowest win probability: 13.6%
Mahomes’ stats (C-A-I): 27-36-0 for 337 yards and 3 TDs
The Chiefs opened the 2021 season with a first-half thud against the Browns in a rematch of last season’s AFC Divisional showdown.
Mahomes’ wild 5-yard touchdown scramble was Kansas City’s lone first-half highlight, but his three second-half touchdown passes — including a 75-yard heave, which traveled 45 yards in the air as Mahomes rolled to the right and threw back across the field — helped turn things around.
Largest deficit: Trailed by 10 early in the fourth quarter
Lowest win probability: 6.1%
Mahomes’ stats (C-A-I): 28-45-0 for 304 yards and 1 TD
This was the start of Mahomes Magic. The signature play from that game was Mahomes’ left-handed pass to Tyreek Hill for a third-down conversion with Von Miller nipping at his heels and flushing him out of the pocket to the left.
Mahomes went 15 of 18 for 180 yards with a touchdown right-handed and added a 6-yard completion left-handed on two fourth-quarter touchdown drives as the Chiefs rallied from down 23-13 to win.
Largest deficit: Trailed 24-0 early in the second quarter
Lowest win probability: 6.1%
Mahomes’ stats (C-A-I): 23-35-0 for 321 yards with 5 TDs
The Chiefs’ postseason curse seemed destined to live on for another year after a blocked punt and two Deshaun Watson touchdown passes helped the Texans build a 24-0 lead early in the second quarter.
But when Texans head coach Bill O'Brien elected to go for a field goal on fourth-and-1 from the Kansas City 13-yard line, everything changed.
Mahomes threw four touchdowns in a 9-minute, 11-second span in the second quarter — three to Travis Kelce — and cruised to a lopsided win from there en route to the franchise’s first Super Bowl title in 50 years.
Largest deficit: Trailed 20-10 entering fourth quarter
Lowest win probability: 4.7%
Mahomes’ stats (C-A-I): 26-42-2 for 286 yards and 2 TDs
Jet-Chip-Wasp came into an entire city’s lexicon. It was the play call that netted a 44-yard completion that launched the Chiefs’ comeback from a 20-10 fourth-quarter deficit.
Mahomes had thrown a pair of interceptions earlier in the game, but when it mattered most his bomb to Tyreek Hill turned the tide. The two touchdowns passes — a 1-yarder to Travis Kelce and 5-yarder to Damien Williams — put the Chiefs in front to stay.
The Chiefs have been an important franchise in NFL history, but hadn’t won a championship since Super Bowl IV.
The first title in 50 seasons touched off a heckuva party in Kansas City.
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The “4th & 1” podcast is the twice-weekly, Chiefs-centric podcast from KSHB 41 News, the official broadcast “Home of the Chiefs.” Co-hosts Nick Jacobs and Tod Palmer analyze and breakdown the Chiefs’ opponent and performance for pre- and post-game episodes — available on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher or your preferred podcast platform — each week during the season.
