At one point during the regular season, many speculated that NFL defenses figured Patrick Mahomes out. Needless to say, the Cincinnati Bengals didn’t get the message as the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback is tearing them apart in the AFC Championship Game.
Mahomes went to work immediately. Fresh off an incredible comeback in the Divisional Round over the Buffalo Bills, the confidence carried into Sunday’s AFC title bout. Mahomes delivered an 11-play, 84-yard drive and capped it off with a breathtaking, game-opening touchdown pass to Tyreek Hill.
When the Bengals only responded with a field goal, the All-Pro passer made them play. On the second drive, he delivered a 44-yard strike to Mecole Hardman. A few plays later, his unfathomable ability to evade pressure and throw on the move was on full display before he delivered a touchdown dart to Travis Kelce.
If the Bengals tried making adjustments after two drives, Mahomes didn’t notice. He covered 72 yards in under 5 minutes, capping it off with his third first-half touchdown pass.
Already delivering the perfect AFC Championship Game performance, Mahomes added to his absurd box score. Taking the field with 61 seconds left, he connected on 5-of-7 attempts for 64 yards and took the Chiefs down to the 1-yard line.
- Patrick Mahomes stats (1st half vs CIN): 18-of-21, 220 passing yards, 3 TDs, 149.9 QB rating
While Kansas City couldn’t punch it into the end zone, Mahomes’ exceptional first-half passing clinic captured everyone’s attention across the NFL world.