KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Nearly one-third of Patrick Mahomes’ 53 career NFL regular-season starts have been played in primetime.
During those 17 prime-time games, the Kansas City Chiefs are 10-7, but that pedestrian record can’t be pinned on Patrick.
Mahomes has completed 419 of 614 attempts for 4,858 yards — all of which would be career-highs for a season — with 43 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
He’s also racked up 387 yards and two touchdowns on 66 carries — again, all of which would be career-highs — with four fumbles lost.
On balance, that’s a heckuva prime-time season. Here’s the game-by-game breakdown:
2018 SEASON
Oct. 1 W, 27-23 at Denver
Mahomes’ national coming-out party. He put together an epic fourth quarter, including a left-handed completion to Tyreek Hill with Von Miller nipping at his heels, signalinfour his arrival as a force in the NFL. He finished the game 28 of 45 for 304 with a touchdown and no turnovers as the Chiefs rallied from down 23-13 midway through the final period.
Oct. 14 L, 43-40 at New England
Bill Belichick’s defense flummoxed Mahomes during the first half, baiting him into a pick-six and building a 24-9 halftime lead. But Mahomes brought the Chiefs all the way back, tying the game in the closing minutes only to have the Patriots win it with a field goal as time expired. Mahomes finished 23 of 36 for 352 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions.
Oct. 21 W, 45-10 vs. Cincinnati
Playing on Sunday Night Football for the second straight week, Mahomes went 28 of 39 for 358 yards with four touchdowns and an interception in the lopsided win. He also fumbled twice, but the Chiefs recovered both.
Nov. 19 L, 54-51 at Los Angeles Rams
Mahomes threw for 478 yards and a career-high six touchdowns in a game that was moved from Mexico City after a Shakira concert wrecked the field at Estadio Azteca. He also threw for a career-high three interceptions and fumbled twice, finishing 33 of 46 in what would be running back Kareem Hunt’s final game with the Chiefs. Think about that? Fifty-one points despite five turnovers!
Dec. 13 L, 29-28 vs. Los Angeles Chargers
The Chiefs blew a two-touchdown lead in the fourth quarter and lost on a two-point conversion with four seconds left against Philip Rivers — gutting. Mahomes completed 24 of 34 passes for 243 yards with two touchdowns and no turnovers in the loss.
Dec. 23 L, 38-31 at Seattle Seahawks
It was not a Merry Christmas for Chiefs Kingdom as Russell Wilson outdueled Mahomes, who finished 23 of 40 for 273 yards with three touchdowns and no turnovers.
2019 SEASON
Oct. 6 L, 19-13 vs. Indianapolis
A hobbled Mahomes, who was fighting through a couple early-season ankle sprains, finished 22 of 39 for 321 yards with a touchdown and no turnovers, but the offense struggled to generate scoring chances.
Oct. 17 W, 30-6 at Denver
Mahomes was 10 for 11 for 76 yards with a touchdown before exiting with a dislocated knee on a quarterback sneak (the last of his career?). The Chiefs sacked Joe Flacco eight times in the crushing win.
Nov. 18 W, 24-17 vs. Los Angeles Chargers (Mexico City)
Maybe it was the travel, maybe it was the election or maybe the Chargers deserve all the credit, but Mahomes only completed 19 of 32 passes for 182 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He did add five carries for 59 yards on the ground.
Dec. 22 W, 26-3 at Chicago
Mahomes finished 23 of 33 for 251 yards and totaled three touchdowns, including one rushing, with no turnovers in a thoroughly dominant performance by the soon-to-be Super Bowl champs.
2020 SEASON
Sept. 10 W, 34-20 vs. Houston
Mahomes went 24 of 32 for a pedestrian 211 yards, but also had three touchdowns and no turnovers in a game that never felt close after the first quarter.
Sept. 28 W, 34-20 at Baltimore
Mahomes was on a mission to prove critics wrong after being voted fourth on the NFL’s annual list of the best players despite winning the Super Bowl the previous season. He torched the Ravens’ once-vaunted defense for 385 yards and four touchdowns through the air and added another score on the ground with no turnovers. He completed 31 of 42 passes in the rout.
Oct. 5 W, 26-10 vs. New England
COVID-19 issues forced the game to move to Monday and sidelined Cam Newton. Kansas City shrugged off the upheaval behind Mahomes, who went 19 of 29 for 236 yards with two touchdowns and no turnovers.
Oct. 19 W, 26-17 at Buffalo
It was supposed to be a prime-time game and wound up being prime-time-ish after being postponed due to COVID-19. Regardless, Mahomes sparkled despite awful Buffalo weather, completing 21 of 26 for 225 yards with two touchdowns and no turnovers.
Nov. 22 W, 35-31 at Las Vegas
Kansas City trailed five times in the game, but Mahomes brought the Chiefs back every time. He outdueled his Raiders counterpart Derek Carr, finishing 34 of 45 for 348 yards with two touchdowns and an interception in the comeback win during KC’s first visit to Allegiant Stadium.
2021 SEASON
Sept. 19 L, 36-35 at Baltimore
Patrick Mahomes threw a costly third-quarter interception that helped fuel the Ravens’ comeback win. Mahomes also nearly brought the Chiefs back, driving into field-goal range before a Clyde Edwards-Helaire fumble sunk the rally. Mahomes still finished 24 of 31 for 343 yards with three touchdowns and the lone pick.
Oct. 10 L, 38-20 vs. Buffalo
This one was rough. Mahomes completed 33 of a whopping 54 passes, but for only 272 yards — none longer than 26 yards — with two touchdowns and two interceptions, one of which was returned for a back-breaking touchdown early in the third quarter. He also lost a fumble. Mahomes averaged more yards per rush, amassing 61 yards on eight carries, than per pass (5.04).
