Patrick Mahomes remains unfair (and Josh Allen is pretty good, too)

Patrick Mahomes remains a highlight reel unto himself.

Patrick Mahomes was a top 10 quarterback in 2021 by most normal measurements. He was decidedly below average by Patrick Mahomes’ standards.

Mahomes threw only 37 touchdown passes, set a career high with 13 interceptions, and recorded the lowest passer rating of his career (which, at 98.5, still ranked 10th in the NFL). His Kansas City Chiefs were 3-4 seven weeks into the season and had to start their defense of the AFC title from the Wild Card round.

This did not mean Mahomes or the Kansas City offense was anything less than it had been the past three years. With four plays, the former MVP showed the world he’s just as obscenely, physics-defyingly good as he’s always been.

It all started when the fifth-year quarterback led a drive that turned a 7-0 deficit into a tie game thanks in large part to the longest run of his career: a 34-yard scramble that left the Bills’ linebackers swiping at ghosts:

Five plays later, he capped off the scoring drive by kissing the pylon on a run to the sideline:

That reminded the world what he’s capable of with his legs. Two drives later, he showcased the arm talent few quarterbacks have ever been able to match. Here’s Mahomes putting together a solid Kent Tekulve impersonation to thread a ball around the oncoming rush of Gregory Rousseau and into Tyreek Hill’s hands for a first down.

That man turned this launch angle:

into an easy 10-yard pickup. Later in that series, he turned a third-and-goal blitz that spelled disaster into the kind of back-foot floating throw that almost always ends in regret. But, since this is Mahomes, it sailed perfectly into the waiting hands of Byron Pringle:

Unfortunately for the Chiefs, Mahomes has a capable rival to pick up the saber in this swordfight. Josh Allen finished the first half of this Divisional Round matchup with only five fewer total yards than his Kansas City counterpart. That includes a back-foot dart into the end zone of his own:

Through two quarters, the Allen-Mahomes heavyweight bout is everything we’d hoped it could be. The best part is, there’s no limitation to the completely absurd game-changing plays yet to come. With these two quarterbacks in the lineup, anything is possible.