'Why Mahomes is one of greatest athletes of his generation'

Even in defeat Patrick Mahomes seemingly finds new ways to underline what makes him one of the greatest players the NFL has seen. 

The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback endured a frustrating night on Sunday as his side saw their perfect start to the season come to an end in a 20-3 loss to the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks.

Speaking on Inside the Huddle, Sky Sports NFL's Neil Reynolds and Jeff Reinebold hailed further evidence of the 'generational' competitiveness and mentality that has amounted to three Super Bowl victories, five Super Bowl appearances and seven straight AFC Championship Game outings from 2018-2024.

Among the game's flashpoints was a third-quarter fumble by Mahomes himself, prompting a chaotic sequence in which he put his body on the line while chasing down the loose ball.

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"I know he lost, but Patrick Mahomes is an incredible competitor," said Sky Sports NFL presenter Reynolds on Inside the Huddle. "I want to go back to Super Bowl 50, it was a fumble, Cam Newton stood there and didn't dive on the pile, watched the ball, just watched it, left it. It was a Super Bowl. We were very critical of him in that moment.

"There's a part in the game. It's 13-0 to Seattle. Mahomes gets absolutely slammed in the back by Derick Hall, fumbles the ball, ball's on the ground rolling towards the sideline. Mahomes chases it, gets tripped over by another defender, falls flat on his face, gets back up, dives, by which time, it's a melee then, there's offensive linemen, defensive linemen, he dives in there again, disappears under the bottom of the pile and comes out with the football.

"They kick a field goal, he gets the ball back, they're rolling a little bit, it gave them energy for a period. I just haven't seen that before, a quarterback so hungry, maybe at his own expense, to get after a football.

Mahomes and the Chiefs, thanks to a lot of help from marquee addition Kenneth Walker III, have rediscovered their spark on offense this year after Kansas City missed out on the playoffs for the first time since 2014 last season.

It had been something of a team reborn ahead of their defeat in Seattle, Mahomes teasing shades of his best once more after undergoing knee surgery last year.

"I've seen him practice as well at Chiefs training camp three, four times, and on a couple of those occasions there aren't even fans watching," Reynolds continued. "Bad weather forced the Chiefs inside, in their indoor facility. So it's just a handful of media there. He competes all the time. I mean, all the time. It's not like he's getting up for the fans when they're out on the practice field in training camp, indoor facility, no one watching.

"Ask him for a race or game of cards in the locker room, bet he's the same way. There's just some people that are just wired different. That's how they get to where they are."

'Mahomes has Mamba Mentality'

Reinebold likened Mahomes' mindset to that of NBA icons Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan, insisting his will to win and competitive drive have been just as important as his arm talent and intelligence in fuelling his rise to greatness.

"There are a lot of reasons why Pat Mahomes is one of the top quarterbacks that we've seen in our generation," said Reinebold. I think I can say that fairly. He's got all the physical tools, but it's the intangible things, right? His football intelligence, and his competitive heart. That was on display in that game. That's how you get your team to rally, when they see you as the quarterback putting yourself at risk for the team, that speaks volumes to that football team.

"How can you as an offensive lineman or a receiver or another position player not give it up when you see the best quarterback in our generation putting himself at risk for the football? I love the fact that he competes as hard as he does. He doesn't have to prove anything to anybody because we've watched him play hurt over his career."

Mahomes, whose Chiefs play the Denver Broncos live on Sky Sports this weekend, is one of just five quarterbacks in history to win three or more Super Bowls as a starter, is a two-time MVP, a three-time Super Bowl MVP and holds NFL records in total single-season yards by a quarterback (5,608) and career passing yards per game (285.2).

"The playoff game where he could barely walk and he went out and finished the game and won the game for his football team. This guy is an extra special talent," Reinebold continued.

"That's probably a common thread among all of the great athletes of of the day. You talk about Mamba Mentality with Kobe Bryant. He wrote books about how competitive he was and how intense his workouts were, I'm sure [Cristiano] Ronaldo and all the great ones have that same thread running through them that they're intensely competitive about everything.

"Michael Jordan was famous that he wanted to compete at everything, when they would go on on trips the luggage would come on the carousel, he'd bet his luggage came off first. That's how competitive those guys are."

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