On Sunday night, Patrick Mahomes continued to rise to the top of all-time brilliance.
The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback completed his historic 200th career TD pass to tight end Noah Gray for a 34-yard score in the first quarter of a 23-20 victory, which is a goal he accomplished faster than any player in history.
Mahomes played in his 84th game of his career on Sunday night against the New York Jets for the Chiefs. Dan Marino, a quarterback with the Miami Dolphins who is now in the Hall of Fame, set the previous record by completing 200 TD passes in just 89 games. Aaron Rodgers, who is presently on the injured reserve list for the Jets, reached 200 TDs in 99 career games, Peyton Manning did so in 106, and Brett Favre did so in 107, putting Mahomes above a who’s who of exceptional Hall of Famers.
Mahomes struggled by his standards, completing 18 of 30 throws for 203 yards, the TD, two interceptions, and a 63.6 rating. It was his only touchdown of the game. He also broke the record on the field, gaining 51 yards on the ground, including a scramble that ended the game, to raise his career total to 1,701. That beat Alex Smith’s previous record of 1,672 for the Chiefs for a quarterback.
Mahomes, who exploded into the NFL scene in 2018 with a second season to remember in which he passed for 50 touchdowns and 5,097 yards, is still playing at a different pace. The Chiefs organisation and the NFL were forever changed by Mahomes’ debut season as the starter.
Following that, Mahomes, in his 40th career game, became the quarterback to reach the 100-TD milestone fastest.
The 28-year-old has reached 200 now, and he doesn’t show any signs of slowing down.