g at the top level, going out there and just competing. When you see guys like that — I mean you saw Baker [Mayfield] this past yea

KANSAS CITY Len Dawson Jersey , Mo. — In an otherwise empty Kansas City Chiefs locker room, long after they had rallied to beat the Ravens in overtime and clinch a playoff berth, chairman Clark Hunt was asked what makes this year’s team different than all those that suffered postseason letdowns.His answer was refreshingly simple and candid: Patrick Mahomes.“I think he’s shown even more than what we thought he’d be during the draft process,” Hunt said with a hint of a smile. “In so many ways he’s exceeded our expectations, and when you have a guy like Patrick under center, you always have a chance to win games.”Even when things aren’t going perfectly.The Chiefs had watched offensive lineman Cam Erving leave with a knee injury, running back Spencer Ware hurt both his shoulder and hamstring, and wide receiver Tyreek Hill hurt his wrist and heel but remain in the game. Mahomes had thrown an interception into heavy coverage, special teams had made a rare mistake that allowed Baltimore to take a late lead, and the game was hanging in the balance.Mahomes responded with the kind of magic Chiefs fans already have come to expect.First, there was the audacious, cross-body throw some 40 yards downfield to convert on fourth-and-9 and keep the Chiefs alive. Then there was the savvy dump-off pass on another fourth-down play to backup running back Damien Williams that forged a 24-24 tie with 53 seconds left in regulation.After winning the coin toss in overtime, Mahomes deftly led the Chiefs downfield for a go-ahead field goal, which wound up being the winner when the Kansas City defense stopped the Ravens on downs.“This game here, this was a big test for him,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “The rest of the season will be a big test for him, too. But this was a big test to this point, and I like the way he handled it.”Mahomes wound up throwing for 377 yards and two touchdowns against the NFL’s top-ranked defense Mitch Morse Jersey , and his daring schoolyard plays helped the Chiefs (11-2) inch closer to a third straight AFC West title.“You see it on film, but the things that he did, it’s just hard to practice that,” Ravens linebacker C.J. Mosley said. “We work on drills when the quarterback is out of the pocket and you keep your eyes on your man. That big fourth-and-long that they had, it was all on the right side of the field and then he threw it up and made a great play. At the end of the day, they made more plays than we did.”Yes, the Chiefs’ record-setting quarterback didn’t do it alone. Hill made big catches in overtime, Travis Kelce had another monster game, and Justin Houston and the Chiefs’ defense made a series of crucial stops in overtime to help KC escape with a playoff-like victory over the Ravens.Now, they can clinch the division title and at least a first-round bye with a victory over the Los Angeles Chargers in another high-profile showdown Thursday night at Arrowhead Stadium.Mahomes also can continue to scribble his name in the record books.He’s already set a franchise record with 43 touchdown passes, three behind Peyton Manning’s record for most during the first 13 games of a season. He needs 292 yards passing to break Trent Green’s franchise mark of 4,591 in a single season, and Manning’s NFL record of 5,477 yards isn’t out of reach.“He’s a great quarterback,” Chiefs wide receiver Demarcus Robinson said. “I think he always plays good. He’s got people who are 250, 260 (pounds) rushing him — he’s the quarterback, he’s got a tough job. So we just try to do everything we can to make it easy for him.”Mahomes is the first to point out that nothing he does happens in a vacuum. He readily deflects praise to his wide receivers and offensive line, along with Reid and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy Chris Jones Jersey , even as the owner of the franchise heaped it on him.“He has emerged as one of the key leaders of the team, which is very hard for a 23-year-old player in his first year as a starter,” Hunt said. “But the guys really gravitate to him. I think it says a lot about his character. … I don’t run into anybody either here in Kansas City or somewhere else who doesn’t say, ‘Wow, that young man seems like he’s really special.'”NOTES: Chiefs president Mark Donovan said the team expects to return to Missouri Western for camp next year, even though no contract has been signed. “We’re fully expecting to be back there,” he said. … Reid said Monday that SS Eric Berry could play against the Chargers. “We will just see how it goes these next couple of days,” he said, “but there’s a chance.” In an interview with ESPN, Mahomes talks Madden, Kyler Murray, Andy Reid and more."WhiteSeries Stagner ThingsLottery Tickets ’19Summer of SpagsMailbagFanposts Fanshots Community Community GuidelinesContactAbout StubHub ✕Patrick Mahomes says he should be rated 100 on MaddenNew,24commentsIn an interview with ESPN, Mahomes talks Madden, Kyler Murray, Andy Reid and more. CDTShareTweetShareSharePatrick Mahomes says he should be rated 100 on MaddenRobert Deutsch-USA TODAY SportsIt’s hard to believe that it has been almost two years to the day since Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was drafted 10th overall in the 2017 NFL Draft. A lot has happened for the 23-year-old since then—particularly in 2018, when Mahomes did things as a first-year starting quarterback that not many could have ever imagined possible when he picked up that life-changing phone call on April 27, 2017. Jaw-dropping plays Tanoh Kpassagnon Jersey , record numbers, a strong Super Bowl run, the 2018 AP NFL MVP award, sponsorships left and right and — as of Thursday night — the honor of being named the Madden NFL 20 cover athlete. Right after the announcement Thursday, Patrick Mahomes caught up with an ESPN panel.Here’s what Mahomes had to say:On being the face of Madden NFL 20:“It’s special. It really is,” Mahomes said when asked about being the face of the new ‘Madden 20’ cover. “When you look at the guys that have been on that cover — from Michael Vick to Tom Brady and Drew Brees, to name a few — it really was a special moment when I got to really see that cover and see myself on it.”...and what he thinks his overall player rating will be:“I’m thinking 100,” Mahomes said confidently as the panel laughed. “I’m trying to be the first 100 overall rated player.”On how Texas Tech helped prepare him for the NFL:“I think coach (Kliff) Kingsbury in general helped me a ton,” Mahomes said of his college coach. “Just putting a lot on me, not babying me, making sure that I go through the stuff, that I make the protection calls, that I go through that spread system and really just air it out and play. You see it on Sundays now, I’m really just seeing green grass, kind of ad-libbing, but at the same time, playing within the system.”On what makes quarterback Kyler Murray’s style of offense unique:“I think just the ability to play in space,” Mahomes said of Murray — who was taken first overall in the 2019 NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals. “Not everything has to be perfect. You can go out there and just make plays happen when stuff breaks down. I think that’s one thing that I learned at Texas Tech that really translated [to the NFL]. I’ve had coaches that have let me play my game and as more and more college concepts come to the NFL Armani Watts Jersey , you can play within the system and make those plays. That’s what coach Reid’s got me really, really good at but at the same time, when stuff breaks down, I go back to that college style of making plays happen.”On what Chiefs head coach Andy Reid has done for his career: “Just the way he’s able to teach me and, more than anything, he challenges me every single day,” Mahomes said of Reid. “He’s not letting me be satisfied with just being there and with just going out there and throwing a few touchdowns. He wants me to get better every single day and learning why are we running these routes, why are we trying to exploit this part of the defense...I think that that challenge of every single day getting better have really taken me to the next step of my game.”On what impact Murray’s height has on his game and in the NFL:“I think if you just watch that dude throw a football you know that he can play in the NFL,” Mahomes said of Murray’s ability. “I’ve seen him play since he was a high school state champion in Texas and he was playing at the top level, going out there and just competing. When you see guys like that — I mean you saw Baker [Mayfield] this past year, you see Kyler now and you see all these other guys that are in this draft — when they compete and they go out there every single day and they’re trying to get better and they’re trying to win no matter what it takes, those are the guys that go out and succeed on Sundays.”On what this year’s quarterbacks in the draft should know going into the NFL:“It’s an every-day, every-hour event,” Mahomes said of what it’s like being an NFL quarterback. “We went out there every single day, and luckily I had Alex Smith in front of me who taught me the ropes. But being a pro quarterback isn’t about playing on Sunday; it’s about what you do during the week.I think that was the biggest thing that i learned my first year there. You have to attack every single day with that mindset that this day, this hour is going to make me better on Sunday.”