Super Bowl 2023: Patrick Mahomes may already be a Hall of Famer after gutsy performance that earned him MVP

GLENDAL, Arizona. — If Patrick Mahomes woke up tomorrow and decided he wanted to retire from football, it could be argued that the 27-year-old has already done enough in his career to earn a place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Not only did Mahomes win his second Super Bowl on Sunday, he made it one of the most daring performances of his career, and it’s a performance that earned him his second career Super Bowl MVP after the Chiefs beat the Eagles, 38-35.

There were just under two minutes left in the first half, and Mahomes re-injured ankle. At that point, Kansas City’s season looked almost over.

The Eagles would score again in the second quarter to take a 24-14 lead, and there was no reason to think that Mahomes could do any magic in the second half with a sore ankle. Mahomes hadn’t done much prior to his ankle injury – he only threw for 89 yards in the first half – so it seemed unlikely that he could do anything with the ankle injury. However, as we have seen over and over again in the course of his career, Mahomes can never be ignored. Whatever magic beans they gave him to heal his ankle in the second half, they definitely worked because Mahomes was magical in the second half.

In the second half, the Chiefs had four possessions and scored in every one of them, which is remarkable because it was the first time in 94 career starts that Mahomes had led the Chiefs on a goal on every shot in the second half. And he did it IN THE SUPER BOWL with a sore ankle, playing a near-perfect half, scoring 13 of 14 for 126 yards and two passing touchdowns.

Every time the Chiefs needed a second half game, Mahomes gave it to them. Do you want to score a touchdown on a game with a third down in the fourth quarter? Mahomes did just that.

Do you want a 26-yard scrimmage with the Super Bowl on the line at the end of the fourth quarter in a tie? Mahomes gave us this too.

Mahomes didn’t put up a mind blowing record (21 of 27 for 226 yards and three TD passes), but he was in complete control of the entire game and coming up with clutch play after clutch play, which is why he was voted Super. The best cup.

At 27 years old, he may not be on the list of the best quarterbacks of all time, but he’s certainly getting there. The title currently belongs to Tom Brady, but Mahomes is already doing something that Brady never did.

• Mahomes won the regular season MVP and the Super Bowl the same year. Brady never did.
• Mahomes led the NFL in passing yards and won the Super Bowl the same year. Brady never did. (In fact, no QB in NFL history has ever done this before this year.)
• Mahomes has now won two Super Bowl MVPs and two regular season MVPs in five years. Brady never did. (In fact, no QB in NFL history has ever done this.)
• Mahomes now has two comebacks scoring at least 10 points in the Super Bowl, which ties Brady the most.
• Mahomes has two Super Bowl wins, two Super Bowl MVPs, two regular season MVPs, and has appeared in five consecutive conference games. And he did all this in just five years as a rookie.

What a Chiefs quarterback does is amazing. He’s already doing something that most Hall of Famers have never been able to do.

After Brady won his seventh Super Bowl, it looked like we’d never see anyone come close to his career-high, but if anyone can, it’s definitely Mahomes. NFL fans have been spoiled by 23 years of Brady, and now we’re spoiling Mahomes again.

The Patriot dynasty has just ended, and now the Chiefs are ready to take their place, even if Mahomes won’t admit it.

“I won’t talk about the dynasty just yet, we’re not done yet,” Mahomes said after the Super Bowl.

No, Mahomes hasn’t graduated yet, but whenever he finishes, whether it’s a day, a year, 10 or 20 years old, a place in Canton, Ohio will be waiting for him.