Patrick Mahomes’ ascension to all-time greatness continued Sunday night.
Mahomes connected with tight end Noah Gray for a 34-yard touchdown in the first quarter of a 23-20 win, which is the Kansas City Chiefs’ quarterback’s landmark 200th career touchdown pass -- a feat he accomplished faster than any player in history.
The Chiefs’ Sunday night showdown with the New York Jets was Mahomes’ 84th career game. He broke the previous standard set by Miami Dolphins Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino, who reached 200 TD passes in 89 games. Mahomes now stands above a who’s who of elite Hall of Famers, with Aaron Rodgers, who’s currently on the Jets’ injured reserve list, having reached 200 TDs in 99 career games, while Peyton Manning achieved the feat in 106 games and Brett Favre did it in 107.
It was Mahomes' only touchdown of the night as he struggled by his standards, completing 18 of 30 passes for 203 yards, the TD, two interceptions and a 63.6 rating. However, his record-breaking wasn't confined to his arm as he rushed for 51 yards, including a game-sealing scramble, to push his career total to 1,701. That surpassed Alex Smith (1,672) for the most in Chiefs history for a quarterback.
Mahomes continues to play at another speed, having exploded onto the NFL scene with a second season for the ages when he threw for 50 touchdowns and 5,097 yards in 2018. Mahomes’ first campaign as a starter was a season that changed the Chiefs franchise -- and the NFL -- forever.
After that, Mahomes became the fastest signal-caller to hit the 100-TD milestone, doing so in 2020 during his 40th career game.
Now, the 28-year-old has hit 200 and doesn’t appear to be slowing down.
Whether it’s with individual accolades (two-time Associated Press NFL Most Valuable Player), team triumph (two Super Bowls, six AFC West titles as a starter) or statistical splendor, Mahomes’ success has come swiftly.