Win or lose, the young QB has turned the Chiefs into canĆ¢ĀĀt-miss television.
[View in browser](
[FOX SPORTS INSIDER WITH MARTIN ROGERS]
In todayās FOX Sports Insider: Patrick Mahomes returns to where it all began on TNF ... Vince Carter still has plenty of gas left in the tank ... and the Astros and Yankees play a pivotal Game 4.
No one was talking much about Patrick Mahomes the first time he went to whatās now known as Empower Field at Mile High, back in Week 17 of the 2017 season.
It was Mahomesā debut as an NFL starting quarterback, and while his potential for excellence was suspected by a small collection of Kansas City Chiefs employees, it was yet to be unleashed on the wider public.
It was Denver-style chilly ā 17 degrees at the peak ā and frankly, not a lot of people were paying attention. There wasnāt much reason to. The Chiefs had clinched the AFC West with enough ease that Andy Reid was resting several starters, including Alex Smith. The Broncos were rounding out a forgettable campaign.
And even when Mahomes uncorked a beautiful deep throw to Demetrius Harris for 51 yards on the opening drive and helped the team hang on for a 27-24 victory, it was low in the storyline pecking order for the day.
Fast forward to the Chiefsā Thursday Night Football visit to the Broncos (FOX, 8 p.m. ET), and Mahomes is arguably the most exciting QB in the league, seen by many as moving the position ā along with Deshaun Watson of the Houston Texans ā into a new era.
For some, Mahomes and Watson represent a competition for ascendency; for others, it is a two-pronged juggernaut.
[STORY IMAGE 1]
āThese are two new school guys who act like old school guys in the best possible way,ā FOX analyst Jay Glazer told me via telephone this week. āSome players come into the league and want this and that, and want to be famous.
āMahomes and Watson want nothing more than to work hard and to play hard. They give it their all and they understand that approach is the best way to be successful. Let all the other stuff take care of itself. Thatās why they are the quarterbacking future of the league. It all comes from the old school dedication and effort.ā
Mahomes will need to implement every bit of that work ethic to play through what has turned into the first real struggle of his pro career. The Chiefs have (gasp!) lost two straight games and the 24-year-old is seeking to avoid losing three in a row for the first time ever.
While everything Mahomes touched turned to gold last season, this time around there have been significant challenges. Mahomes has battled his own ankle injury, while his offensive line has been decimated by key injuries. Meanwhile, teams have shown far more willingness to challenge the Chiefs with man-to-man defense.
After losing to Watson and the Houston Texans last weekend, Mahomes was replaced by Russell Wilson as the FOX Bet favorite to win the MVP award, with Watson (also 24 years old) not far behind. When Mahomes burst through to become the hottest QB in the business last season, he perhaps didnāt expect such heated competition for that status so quickly.
āIf you told me I had to pick one for the next 10 years, I would take Mahomes,ā FS1ās Colin Cowherd said. āBecause he doesnāt have any injuries and Deshaun has two. Kansas City is going to be fine. Mahomes is going to be first-ballot Hall of Fame. My takeaway is this: when you look at the weapons and the running game and the O lines, itās a coin flip.ā
The Chiefs are a favorite on the road, despite losing to the Texans and the Indianapolis Colts consecutively to derail their perfect start. The Broncos, meanwhile, have bounced back from a dismal start to the season and have won two straight.
[STORY IMAGE 2]
Kansas City knows all about Mahomesā physical capabilities and penchant for exhilarating plays. What it is hoping to see now is resiliency under duress.
āIāve definitely been through adverse times when I was in college of not winning the game I felt like we could have won,ā Mahomes told reporters. āItās a long season. You can figure it out. There are difficult times in the NFL.ā
According to NFL.com, the Chiefs dipped to 18.5 points per game over the past two weeks, having led the league with 35.0 over the previous 20 games. Since Week 4, Mahomesā passer rating has fallen from 134.9 to 89.3 ā 16th in the NFL.
Despite this, he is still the QB everyone wants to watch. USA TODAYās Lorenzo Reyes, in comparing todayās young quarterbacks with some of the all-time greats, likened Mahomes to Aaron Rodgers ... with a caveat.
āObjectively speaking, Mahomes may be in his own category,ā Reyes wrote. āHe won the NFL MVP last season after just turning 23. While Rodgers has more experience and a proven track record, Mahomes is gifted with more arm strength, and he consistently churns out plays that defy the norms. Perhaps the scariest thing for the rest of the NFL? The kid is still learning the position.ā
Perhaps the biggest indicator of how much the NFL world thinks of Mahomes is this: despite his tender years and with only one full season of starting experience to his name, this current two-game mini-blip is seen as a noteworthy surprise.
Itās not just the thin air of Colorado heās breathing this week; Mahomesā career is already in true rarefied territory. And now? A nationally-televised opportunity to put his season back on track, which could scarcely have come at a better time.
[STORY IMAGE 3]
Hereās what others have said ...
Vic Fangio, Broncos coach, on Mahomes: āI think he's like John Elway was in the '80s and '90s. He's that guy. Like Aaron Rodgers has been for the last 12, 14 years ā however many years he's been starting. He's kind of that guy. He's the great passer, the great improviser. He plays with a lot of athletic arrogance, which is a compliment. He's very confident in his ability.ā
Steve Ruiz, For The Win: āMahomes has been truly special and deserves all of the praise he has received. Itās time to accept that (Deshaun) Watson is right there with him. Now, this isnāt meant to be an argument that either quarterback is better than the other, but rather an argument that Watson has been under-appreciated and deserves his own spotlight.ā
NFL analyst Mark Schlereth to FanSidedās Mark Carman: āPat Mahomes is ruining quarterbacking for every young quarterback in the NFL because he becomes the guy you compare him to. Heās a unicorn. Heās just a freak show. When he poops, he poops out rainbow sherbet. For crying out loud, heās a straight-up unicorn.ā
[IN OTHER WORDS]
- The Ramsā risky bet of acquiring Jalen Ramsey redefines the cost of doing business in the NFL, [writes Kevin Clark at]( [The Ringer](.
- [Alex Coffey at]( [The Athletic]( catches up with the 1989 earthquake World Series attendees who are making San Francisco safer, 30 years later.
- Itās been an improbable career for Frank Gore, [writes Danielle Allentuck at]( [The New York Times]( as the NFLās oldest active running back climbs toward becoming No. 3 on the all-time rushing list.
[THE INTERNET IS UNDEFEATED]
[THE INTERNET IS UNDEFEATED](
Vince Carter blew up Twitter on Wednesday night as the Hawks took a preseason victory over the Knicks in Madison Square Garden. Now in his second season with Atlanta, Carter has been in the NBA an astonishing 22 years. (And the 42-year-old played three years of college ball at NC before that!) The ageless wonder had 17 points in the game, including five three-pointers and a go-ahead bucket from downtown with just over 90 seconds left in the fourth quarter. The performance had NBA fans through the roof, including plenty of good-natured and loving jokes about his age. The above video encapsulates everything we love about Carter and about NBA Twitter. Stunt on these youngsters, Vince. They need to know.
[VIEWER'S GUIDE]
Houston Astros at New York Yankees (FS1, 8:08 p.m. ET)
Game 4 of the ALCS, which was originally supposed to take place on Wednesday, was postponed due to rain. This has allowed the Astros and Yankees to rework their pitching rotations, so it will be Masahiro Tanaka taking the mound for the Yankees against Zack Greinke, with the Astros up 2-1 in the series.
Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos (FOX, 8 p.m. ET)
The Chiefs ā one of the overwhelming favorites to win the Super Bowl heading into the season ā are suddenly stumbling, coming off consecutive losses to the Colts and Texans. Theyāll attempt to get back in the win column in Denver.
[BET OF THE DAY]
[BET OF THE DAY]
Odds provided by [FOX Bet](
Phillip Lindsay 100+ yards from scrimmage & a TD: +450
While all eyes will be on Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs offense, you might want to take a look at the matchup between Denver Broncos RB Phillip Lindsay and the Chiefs defense. Lindsay is one of only eight RBs in the league averaging at least 4.7 yards per carry on more than 75 attempts this season, while Kansas Cityās rush defense is ranked 31st in the NFL, according to Football Outsiders. If the Broncos are going to keep this one close, theyāll likely need a big game from their No. 1 running back.
[WHAT THEY SAID]
āPerfection is not attainable. But if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence.ā
ā Vince Lombardi
[FOLLOW FOX SPORTS]
[Twitter]( [Facebook]( [YouTube]( [Instagram](
Download the FOX Sports app for live scores and streaming
[App Store]( [Google Play](
Available on:
[tvOS] [Roku] [fireTV] [androidtv] [XBOX] [Google chromecast]
[tvOS] [Roku] [fireTV]
[androidtv] [XBOX] [Google chromecast]
Forwarded this message? [Sign up](.
Trademark & Copyright Notice: ⢠and © 2019 FOX Media LLC and FOX Sports Interactive Media, LLC. All rights reserved.
Please do not reply to this message. If you do not wish to receive emails like this in the future, please [unsubscribe](.
FOX Sports respects your privacy. Click [here]( to view our Privacy Policy.
FOX.com
Business & Legal Affairs - Manager Digital Media
P.O. Box 900
Beverly Hills, CA 90213-0900