Opinion: Patrick Mahomes adds layers to definition of what it means to be an 'impact' player
We know Patrick Mahomes is a major baller.
When the reigning Super Bowl MVP torched the New York Jets last weekend for 416 yards and 5 TDs, it was pretty much more of the same. I mean, the guy has been a starter for 2½ seasons and when the Carolina Panthers visit Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday there’s a really good chance that the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback will hit milestones for 12,000 yards and 100 TD passes.
Yet Mahomes’ most significant marker this week added a layer to the historic Election Day as he split the six-figure cost with the Chiefs and team owner Clark Hunt’s family to buy the new voting machines that were needed to secure Arrowhead Stadium as a voting site.
What a buff move for a man who has had a pretty amazing 2020, despite the pandemic.
He used his platform as Kansas City’s most popular citizen to help urge and facilitate voting.
Go ahead, young man. Don’t stick to sports.
“I thought Arrowhead was the perfect place for it and the Chiefs were all on board with it,” Mahomes, 25, told Jim Trotter and Steve Wyche on their “Huddle & Flow” podcast.
What makes Arrowhead so perfect? Mahomes mentioned the love, fun and unity that exists at one of the NFL’s liveliest venues – which gets even better when the Chiefs are winning.
Mahomes would not be deterred when informed by the Kansas City Election Board of the need for machines. Through his Mahomies Foundation, he worked with the Chiefs to ensure machines that are now in place to be used for several years.
Hey, Chiefs coach Andy Reid cast his ballot at Arrowhead on Tuesday.
And Mahomes – whose year beyond winning the Super Bowl has included an engagement, a record, $503 million contract extension, the purchase of an ownership stake in the MLB Kansas City Royals, involvement in the NFL’s response to the social unrest following the death of George Floyd – even received some write-in votes for President according to social media users claiming as much.
He is steadily changing the definition of what it means to be an impact player.
(Column continues after gallery)
A quick rundown on other items of interest as Week 9 rolls on in the NFL:
-- WHO'S HOT: Brian Flores. Through the first seven games of his head coaching career in 2019, Flores was 0-7 after buzzed swirled about the Dolphins “tanking for Tua.” Well, look at him now. Miami (4-3) carries a two-game winning streak to Arizona and is above .500 for the first time under Flores. Since that 0-7 beginning, Flores is 9-7. And, oh, the Dolphins got their man in Tua Tagovailoa, who won in his first NFL start last week. It’s not so pretty. Miami’s offense ranks 28th, the defense 20th. But Flores has developed a scrappy team that plays hard for him. And the “No Name Defense, 2.0” is allowing an NFL-low 18.6 points per game.
DOLPHINS: Coach Flores unloads: QB Tua Tagovailoa is on no 'audition'
-- PRESSURE'S ON: Lamar Jackson. The league’s reigning MVP seeks to rebound at Indianapolis after throwing two picks from his own territory against Pittsburgh that did much to swing the game and ultimately dig a deeper hole for the Ravens to climb out of if they are to overtake the Steelers and repeat as AFC North champs. Jackson is still one of the NFL’s most dynamic players. But as the latest loss and one-and-done playoff appearances the past two seasons have demonstrated, he’s needing to bring his A-game more consistently against the best competition.
OPINION: Despite strong starts, 6 NFL contenders show potentially fatal flaws
-- KEY MATCHUP: Alvin Kamara vs. Devin White. New Orleans' versatile running back, Kamara leads the NFL with 987 yards from scrimmage, which has been so essential for the Saints offense to stay potent while wideout Michael Thomas has been out for the bulk of the season, and Emmanuel Sanders has missed the past couple of weeks. On top of averaging five yards-per-carry, Kamara leads NFL running backs with 55 receptions – many of which have come with him aligned in the slot or at wide receiver in addition to the threat he possesses while slipping out of the backfield for screens, circle routes, check-downs and the like. White’s emergence, meanwhile, is also stamped with versatility. He’s the only player in the NFL with at least 50 tackles (a team-high 68) and five sacks – numbers that vouch for the inside linebacker’s fast sideline-to-sideline pursuit and his effectiveness as a major weapon in Todd Bowles’ exotic blitz schemes. During the Sunday night showcase in Tampa, the Buccaneers will undoubtedly mix up their options to try limiting Kamara, who had two TDs to help New Orleans in a Week 1 matchup. But the paths of Kamara and White will certainly cross often to provide a juicy subplot.
BRADY VS. BREES: Top QBS, NFC heavyweights clash in NFL spotlight game
-- NEXT MAN UP: Jake Luton. Another year, another rookie quarterback will step into the Jaguars lineup as the sixth-round pick from Oregon State supplants the injured Gardner Minshew … who last year replaced the same Nick Foles who has the Bears in the thick of a playoff chase. Minshew has multiple fractures and ligament damage in his right thumb, which apparently have hampered the struggling quarterback for multiple weeks, although coach Doug Marrone maintained the staff was unaware of the injury. Hmmm. Another twist to this strange plot: Luton was a healthy scratch for all of Jacksonville’s seven games (1-6), but leap-frogged veteran No. 2 quarterback Mike Glennon to get the start against the Houston Texans. Which begs questions such as why Luton wasn’t the primary backup and why the Jaguars ever traded away Foles after investing such a hefty contract on the former Super Bowl MVP. In any event, Luton gets a shot to show his stuff.
WEEK 9 PICKS: Do Bucs or Saints wind up with NFC South lead?
-- ROOKIE WATCH: Dee Jay Dallas. With Chris Carson staying back in Seattle to nurse a mid-foot sprain, Dallas, a fourth-round rookie from “The U” (Miami, Fla.), is poised to make his second pro start at Buffalo. He had a modest 41 yards on 18 carries against the 49ers in Week 8, but reached the end zone twice. With Carson’s primary backup, Carlos Hyde, also a scratch and third-string option Travis Homer trying to rebound from a bruised knee, Dallas will surely get some opportunities to exploit the Bills' suspect, 26th-ranked run defense that allowed the Patriots to run for 188 yards last week. Given the rash of injury setbacks in the backfield, it’s not a stretch to wonder if the Seahawks will play the card they used last season by making a call to lure “Beast Mode,” Marshawn Lynch, off his retirement couch.
OPINION: Seahawks star DK Metcalf is now more than just a physical marvel
-- STOMACH FOR AN UPSET: Giants at Washington. When the teams met in Week 6, “Riverboat Ron” Rivera went for the win in the final seconds rather a tie that likely would have forced overtime…and the WFT came home with an L after failing to convert on a two-point attempt. Now, after clobbering Dallas, Washington (2-5) is so upbeat as a 3-point favorite. Payback is in the air. And so is the notion of a “trap” game against a 1-7 outfit. If, of course, embattled Giants quarterback Daniel Jones can avoid the turnovers and avoid tripping himself up in running in the open field – lowlights from the almost-but-couldn’t losses the past two weeks.
-- IF THE PLAYOFFS WERE TODAY: The Arizona Cardinals would be in. The year-to-year, musical chairs effect of the NFL playoff picture is in full swing again. Arizona (5-2) has a wild card slot in its grasp at the moment and assuming the NFL sticks with its plan to add a seventh playoff spot for each conference this season (amid talk of a 16-team field), the Cardinals and wondrous quarterback Kyler Murray are poised to flip from non-playoff entity. Happens every year. The Cards, Bucs, Steelers, Bears and Colts are positioned to make that playoff move while the Vikings, 49ers, Patriots need serious rallies during the second of the season to get back in.
NFL POWER RANKINGS: Raiders, Seahawks rise, Titans tumble after Week 8
-- DID YOU NOTICE? Lions running back Adrian Peterson heads back to Minnesota seeking to chalk up his former team as the 28th opponent that he has registered a rushing touchdown against. Just five players in NFL history have scored rushing TDs against that many different opponents.
-- STAT'S THE FACT: The Steelers not only take the NFL’s only perfect record (7-0) to Dallas, they have also scored at least 25 points in each game this season while averaging 30.1 per contest. That’s not a good sign for a Cowboys defense that has allowed an NFL-high 266 points (33.25 per game).
COWBOYS: DE Randy Gregory opens up on tackling anxiety
If you enjoy talking football, we have the perfect spot for you. Join our Facebook Group, The Ruling Off the Field, to engage in friendly debate and conversation with fellow football fans and our NFL insiders. Do the right thing, sign up now!