The Chiefs didn’t have much of a running game last night. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes, however, did plenty of running in the passing game.
According to NextGenStats, via Seth Walder of ESPN.com, Mahomes ran 497 yards before throwing the ball or being sacked on Sunday night. It was the highest total for any quarterback in the 2020 season.
Second on the list? Mahomes in Week Five, against the Raiders. That day, Mahomes ran for 495 yards before throwing the ball or getting sacked.
This time around, Mahomes had a toe injury. While it wasn’t a factor in the AFC Championship, it was a factor on Sunday night. Mahomes fought through it, doing whatever he had to do in an effort to will his team back into the game.
Some are criticizing Mahomes for his performance in Super Bowl LV. That’s a lazy take; Mahomes played heroically and admirably.
Although Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady won the Super Bowl MVP award, here’s the reality: The game was won by the team’s defense. Indeed, if Mahomes and Brady had flipped teams before kickoff, the outcome would have been as bad -- if not much worse -- for the Chiefs.
The offensive line wasn’t good. The playcalling abandoned the run (again). The receivers weren’t getting open or catching balls that hit their hands, or elsewhere. The defense was sloppy and undisciplined.
The Chiefs lost the game for many reasons. Patrick Mahomes was not one of those reasons.