Who has beaten Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes?

Since he was drafted as the 10th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, franchise QB Patrick Mahomes has accumulated a laundry list of accolades. He finished his first year as a starter with 50 passing touchdowns, earning First-Team All-Pro honors and being named the NFL’s MVP award for the 2018 season. Now, he’s headed to his second-consecutive Super Bowl to face Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

In his 53 games as a starter, Mahomes holds a 44-9 record in the regular and post-season. Here, we’ll take a look back at the opponents who have defeated the young superstar QB.

Some interesting highlights

• The New England Patriots, with Tom Brady under center, are the only team to have defeated Patrick Mahomes more than once.
• Patrick Mahomes has never lost a game by more than eight points.
• Each of Mahomes’ losses in the 2019 season came against the AFC South. Two of those three teams, the Texans and Titans, went on to secure a berth in the playoffs and both played the Chiefs in the post-season. The Texans traveled to Arrowhead to face the Chiefs in the Divisional round and were defeated 31-51. The Titans then faced the Chiefs in Arrowhead for the AFC Championship, which Tennessee lost 24-35.
• Of Mahomes nine career losses, 4 games were played at home and 5 were on the road.

2018 NFL Season

Week 6 vs. New England Patriots (40-43)

This was our first preview of Super Bowl 55. The Chiefs traveled to Gillette Stadium, where Mahomes racked up 352 passing yards, four passing touchdowns and two interceptions. Kareem Hunt led the backfield, and both he and Tyreek Hill each exceeded 100 receiving yards in this outing. In contrast, Tom Brady had 340 passing yards and one passing touchdown. The Patriots looked to establish the run with their rookie RB, Sony Michel, who totaled 106 rushing yards and two scores on the ground. Perhaps the Patriots biggest hero was Steven Gostkowski who went 5 for 5 on FG attempts and 4 for 4 on extra points. The Patriots defense provided the team just enough support to dominate the clock and keep Mahomes off of the field long enough to secure a win.

Week 11 vs. Los Angeles Rams (51-54)

This matchup against the Rams is one of the most memorable primetime games in recent history. Mahomes and Jared Goff each had more than 400 passing yards and combined for 10 passing touchdowns, but don’t get it twisted — there was, in fact, some defense played in this contest. Though the Chiefs were more productive in terms of yardage, Mahomes struggled with ball security in this game, totaling 3 INTs and 2 lost fumbles. The Rams defense came up with a pick-six and fumble recovery touchdown to help their cause and take home the win.

Week 15 vs. Los Angeles Chargers (28-29)

Yet another close loss for the first-year starter here. The Chiefs lost to their AFC West rival, the Chargers in what was largely an underwhelming performance for this star-studded offense. Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce had 61 and 46 receiving yards, respectively, while RB Damien Williams managed 123 scrimmage yards and two scores. After starting the game ahead 14-0 in the first quarter, the Chargers were able to catch up by the end. Philip Rivers started the final drive of the game at his own 40, and with two big-time catches by Travis Benjamin was set up to throw a one-yard passing TD to receiver Mike Williams. The Chargers converted a two point attempt on a pass from Rivers to Williams, and the Chargers take the lead at 29 points in the final four seconds of the game.

Week 16 vs. Seattle Seahawks (31-38)

Here we were gifted with yet another dream head-to-head matchup with Patrick Mahomes facing Russell Wilson in a primetime game in Seattle. They nearly mirrored one another in passing production, as Mahomes posted 273 passing yards, 3 TDs and 0 INTs to Russell Wilson’s 271 passing yards, 3 TDs and 0 INTs. Each team had a 100-yard rusher in Damien Williams and Chris Carson. So where did it go wrong for the Chiefs? They entered the fourth quarter down 7 points, and simply put, there wasn’t enough time. They scored 14 points in the final quarter of the game, but unfortunately, so did the Seahawks. After a successful FG attempt with 1:23 left to go, Harrison Butker attempted an onside kick, recovered by Seattle. Game over.

AFC Championship vs. New England Patriots (31-37)

This AFC Championship game is undoubtedly one of the strongest pieces of evidence we have that there needs to be a change in NFL overtime rules. After a very slow start to the game, down 14-0 heading into halftime, the Chiefs rallied to close up the gap. These two teams battled it out until the final eight seconds of regulation, when Harrison Butker kicked a last second 39-yard field goal to tie up the game 31-31, sending it into overtime. Unfortunately for the Chiefs, the Patriots received the ball first in overtime, and in true Brady fashion, marched down the field to score a touchdown. Game over. The Chiefs had no shot to match. The world will never know — could Mahomes have led a strike back to keep the Chiefs alive?

2019 NFL Season

Week 5 vs. Indianapolis Colts (13-19)

Just 32 total points were scored in this outing, and most of them came courtesy of place kickers Harrison Butker and Adam Vinatieri. Patrick Mahomes threw for 321 passing yards and a score in this outing, but the Chiefs struggle to establish the run and 11 penalties kept the win just out of reach in this outing. Bashaud Breeland had four penalties on his own totaling 68 yards given up to the Colts — a huge blow. The Chiefs fail to convert an onside kick after scoring a FG, and the Colts walk away with a 19-13 victory.

Week 6 vs. Houston Texans (24-31)

Once again, though Patrick Mahomes did his part to match up well with opposing QB Deshaun Watson, the Chiefs found themselves unable to establish the run and the Texans dominated time of possession. The Texans overcame a 14-point deficit in the second quarter while Carlos Hyde and Duke Johnson combined for 150 rushing yards, 34 receiving yards and two TDs from scrimmage. The Chiefs punted the ball after a quick three-and-out with 5:12 left in the fourth quarter, and the Texans worked the clock to make that their last possession.

Week 10 vs. Tennessee Titans (32-35)

Mahomes returned to the field in this outing after suffering a dislocated kneecap in Week 7. That’s not to say Mahomes was necessarily the issue here. Though this was his only game of the 2019 season without a rush attempt, he performed well from the pocket. Mahomes finished his day with 446 passing yards, 3 passing touchdowns and 0 INTs, but Derrick Henry posted a valiant effort with 188 rushing yards and two touchdowns, but they may not have walked away with a win if it weren’t for a bad snap on a FG attempt with 1:27 to go in the fourth quarter. Harrison Butker never had his chance at the points, and the Ryan Tannehill drove the team down touchdown with just 29 seconds to go. With a two-point conversion, the Titans took the lead, and a last second FG attempt by the Chiefs was blocked. Despite the outcome of this game, it’s difficult not to look back at his performance and be utterly impressed considering his return from injury.

2020 NFL Season

Week 5 vs. Las Vegas Raiders (32-40)

This Chiefs loss to the Raiders may top the list of most surprising outcomes in the 2020 NFL Seasons. Though Mahomes was able to keep it a close game with 340 passing yards, 3 total touchdowns and an interception, the did post his lowest completion rate of the season at 51.2%. Kansas City’s defense was unable to contain the Raiders who posted 490 total yards and dominated time of possession at 35:18 as they established the run with Josh Jacobs and Devontae Booker.