Chiefs Quarterback can leave a lasting legacy and prove his final doubters wrong

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For the first time in his NFL career, Patrick Mahomes will start a playoff game away from Arrowhead this weekend.

It’ll be the third time the Kansas City Chiefs’ QB will face the Bills in the postseason, with Mahomes leading his team to victory on the previous two occasions.

Another chapter in the Josh Allen/Patrick Mahomes rivalry is just one of the many storylines heading into this encounter.

Though many are hailing Sunday’s AFC Divisional Game as a must-win for the Buffalo Bills, in some respects, it’s equally as crucial for Mahomes.

Leaving a Lasting Legacy

When you look at Mahomes’ resume some may say the 28-year-old has nothing left to prove.

After all, he’s won two Super Bowls, while guiding the Chiefs to five straight conference championship games.

He’s also been the Super Bowl and NFL MVP twice, while holding countless league and Chief records.

While I do believe this game could be make or break for Josh Allen and the Bills, a Chiefs victory would still mean a lot.

Although Mahomes has achieved everything that Allen and the Bills are striving for, taking this Chiefs team into the AFC Championship Game again would be remarkable.

In 2023, Mahomes threw more interceptions (14) than in any of his previous NFL campaigns while he also threw for the second-fewest yards (4,183) and touchdowns (27) in a single season.

That’ll all be forgotten, though, if he can lead the Chiefs to another Super Bowl.

Given the Chiefs’ offensive struggles in 2023, it’d be quite a feat if Mahomes can lead them back to the conference championship game.

Statement Game

The name Tom Brady immediately comes to mind when we hear the term G.O.A.T. coined in a sports context.

A Chiefs victory on Sunday would put Mahomes a step closer to the record for most consecutive AFC Championship Game appearances.

Brady and the Patriots hold that distinction, qualifying for eight straight AFC Championship Games between 2011 and 2018.

The former Pats and Bucs pivot won two of his first three NFL road playoff games, with his first postseason road defeat coming in Denver during the 2005 playoffs (27-13).

Whether it’s fair or not, we always talk about who is the best in sports, and we all have our reasons for choosing one over another.

Like Brady, Mahomes is one of those players who always needs something to strive for.

That’s why playing on the road may be just what he needs to tick another box in his bid to outduel Brady and be the greatest of all time.

The Patriots didn’t always have high-octane offenses in their Super Bowl triumphs; case in point, their 2001 and 2018 victories.

Sunday is Mahomes’ opportunity to show he can take perhaps the worst Chiefs offense we’ve seen in his time at QB and still put them on the brink of another Super Bowl appearance.

In doing so, he’d also silence the critics questioning his ability to win an elimination game outside of Arrowhead.

Going into the frigid Buffalo weather with Bills Mafia in your face at every moment, outdoing the hottest team in the NFL in a hostile environment, and winning would be a huge statement for Mahomes.

It wouldn’t put him on the Mount Rushmore of NFL quarterbacks just yet, but it’d put him closer to the top of that mountain.