RUN IT BACK !
Patrick Mahomes
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A magical year for
Mahomes BRANDON OGDEN bogden@tylerpaper.com
Patrick Mahomes had about as good of a 2020 as possible. Now, he’s looking to start 2021 the same way 2020 started — with another Super Bowl victory. Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs will take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super February 2 Mahomes led the Chiefs to a win over San Francisco in Super Bowl LIV, and he was named the game’s Most Valuable Player. Mahomes finished 26 of 42 for 286 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions, adding 29 yards on nine carries on the ground. February 3 Mahomes visits Disney World. February 5 The Chiefs have their celebratory parade. Mahomes chugged a beer. He also caught another beer from a fan and chugged it. Mahomes then passed a beer to a cameraman, who chugged the beer. Mahomes also threw a football to a kid in the crowd. May 23 Mahomes spoke at Texas Tech’s virtual graduation June 2 Mahomes was named to the NFL’s All-Under-25 Team.
Bowl LV Feb. 7 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. Last season, Mahomes finished his season in Miami, Florida, as the Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers, 31-20, in Super Bowl LIV. Here is a look back at Mahomes’ 2020 — The Year it Was:
June 4 Mahomes posts video on Twitter with other NFL players about racial equality labeled #StrongerTogether. June 20 Whatburger announced it was answering Mahomes’ wish of bringing a Whataburger to Kansas City. July 6 Mahomes signed a 10-year extension worth $503 million — the richest contract in sports history. July 10 Mahomes competes in American Century Championship golf tournament. July 14 Mahomes was revealed on the cover of GQ Magazine. July 28 Mahomes became a member of the Kansas City Royals ownership group.
September 1 Mahomes gets Super Bowl ring and gets engaged to Brittany Matthews. September 29 Matthews announces she and Mahomes are expecting a child. October 21 Mahomes and Matthews announce that their expected child is a girl. October 28 Mahomes asks for an NBA team to come to Kansas City. November 6 Mahomes earns presidential votes. December 8 Mahomes named Sportsperson of the Year by Sports Illustrated. December 10 Mahomes releases Whitehouse maroon-inspired Adidas shoes. December 22 Mahomes earns 342,353 Pro Bowl votes, the most in the NFL.
HISTORY AP Photo Reed Hoffmann
September 17, 1995 Patrick Lavon Mahomes II is born in Tyler to parents Randi (Martin) Mahomes and Pat Mahomes Summer 2010 Mahomes helps Tyler reach the Junior League World Series in Taylor, Michigan. January 10, 2013 Mahomes is named the American State Bank Player of the Year Spring 2013 Mahomes helps lead Whitehouse to the UIL state baseball tournament for the first time. November 9, 2013 Mahomes and the Whitehouse Wildcats defeat John Tyler, 5554, for the District 16-4A title.
February 5, 2014 Mahomes signs with Texas Tech. March 11, 2014 Mahomes outdueled Mount Pleasant’s Michael Kopech, who is now on the Chicago White Sox. Mahomes threw a no-hitter with 16 strikeouts. Summer 2016 Mahomes announces he’s leaving baseball to focus on football. October 22, 2016 Mahomes broke the NCAA FBS records for single-game total offense with 819 yards in a loss to Oklahoma. He tied the NCAA record for single game passing yards with 734. January 3, 2017 Mahomes declares for the NFL Draft
April 27, 2017 The Kansas City Chiefs trade with the Buffalo Bills for the No. 10 pick in the NFL Draft and select Mahomes. December 31, 2017 Patrick Mahomes makes first NFL start, throwing for 284 yards against the Denver Broncos. February 2, 2019 Patrick Mahomes named NFL MVP. Spring 2019 Mahomes starts the nonprofit, 15 and the Mahomies. January 24, 2021 Mahomes and the Chiefs advance to their second straight Super Bowl with a 38-24 win over the Buffalo Bills.
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Putting family first kept Mahomes
healthy for another Super Bowl run JOHN ANDERSON janderson@tylerpaper.com
N
ot only did the 2020 NFL season take place, but the Kansas City Chiefs compiled a 14-2 record and then won two playoff games in 2021 to reach Super Bowl LV in Tampa. And they did it with Patrick Mahomes avoiding COVID-19. Several players during the season tested positive and missed games. Mahomes said on a zoom call with the Kansas City media and the Tyler Morning Telegraph that putting family first helped. On Sept. 29, Brittany Matthews posted a photo with Mahomes, her fiance, of the couple holding an ultrasound photo of their child. The two met while attending Whitehouse ISD and have been dating since. The caption read, “Just taking a small detour to the wedding (Mahomes proposed on Sept. 1, 2020).” Mahomes, a Whitehouse native and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback, was named the Super Bowl MVP with his victory in February in Miami over the 49ers. “You just want to make sure, obviously that I can play, but that the baby is healthy and so it’s been something that we’ve been keeping to ourselves, our small group of people that kind of go in and out of our house,” Mahomes said Thursday. “My brother (Jackson), my sister Lacey, other than that it’s pretty much been us all season long.” During the AFC Championship victory over the Buffalo Bills, Mahomes blew kisses to Matthews and his family as they were in separate suites
As for the pandemic . . . “It’s definitely been challenging. Kind of how people have been trying to quarantine more and more as the playoffs go on. We’ve been doing it the entire season.”
Patrick Mahomes
watching in Kansas City. It’s been these kinds of sacrifices by the entire family that have kept exposure of the virus at a minimum for the QB. The couple had an exciting year off the field, Mahomes became a part-owner of the Kansas City Royals. Matthews, who was a soccer standout at the University of Texas at Tyler and signed a professional contract with a soccer team in Iceland, is now a part owner of the Kansas City team in the National Women’s Soccer League. However, nothing was a distraction for Mahomes. And he is focused on the big game. That means staying in Kansas City instead of traveling to Tampa for the circus that is known as Media Day and other obligations. With the pandemic, the obligations are a few virtual meetings with the press. “It’s a little different compared to last year. But at the same time, we are practicing in the same manner, You get another full week where you don’t have as many obligations as far as going to different places and media night and everything like
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that,” Mahomes said. “So it’s a little different. But at the same time, it’s just a football game at the end of the day and you have to be ready to go no matter when it is.” As for the pandemic, Mahomes said, “It’s definitely been challenging. Kind of how people have been trying to quarantine more and more as the playoffs go on. We’ve been doing it the entire season.” One of the lighter moments to start the week came when an old prediction Mahomes made in the Tyler Morning Telegraph when he was nine. The newspaper had a Super Bowl content where the person with the closest score won $200. Mahomes incorrectly picked the Philadelphia Eagles to beat the New England Patriots. The coach of the Eagles was Andy Reid. He is now Mahomes’ coach. The quarterback for the Patriots Tom Brady. On Feb. 7 in the Super Bowl, Brady, at age 43, leads his new team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers against Mahomes’ Chiefs. Mahomes was asked by a reporter, “Do you remember what age you were when you first became conscious of Tom Brady, what your first memories of him would have been, how far back that goes?” Without breaking a smile, Mahomes, 25, said, “It was probably Sept. 17, 1995 when I was born. He’s been around for a while.” He then cracked a smile. Reid was also asked about Super Bowl XXXIX. It was on Page 1C of the Saturday, Feb. 5, 2005 sports section, Mahomes predicted a 35-28 victory by the Eagles and added in his hand-written prediction, “Eagles are a better team.” Brady and the Patriots defeated the Eagles, 2421, on Feb. 6, 2005, at Alltel Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida, 15 years ago. “That was a heck of a football game. It came down to three points or so,” Reid said on Thursday. “I thought my guys played well, I thought their guys played. I would have liked to have come out at the other end of it. Tom (Brady) played well and Donovan (McNabb, Eagles quarterback) played well. “It was back-and-forth there for a little bit. Greg Lewis had our only touchdown in that game for us (McNabb hit Lewis for a 30-yard TD with 1:48 remaining) and he’s on our staff now. Overall I thought it was a good game. There are individual things I remember from the game, but nothing that blows my socks off there,” Reid added. The story was online and shared on Twitter and Facebook. Mahomes admits he still checks his social media during the playoffs and Super Bowl week — no more, no less. “Probably just a normal amount. You just go throughout it, you see it every now and then but you are mostly focused on the game at hand,” Mahomes said. “You see it when you log on, you see an update. I’ve seen a lot of stock prices going up, too. A lot of stuff going on in the world these days.” A lot went on in the world during the off season. Mahomes spoke out against racial injustice and said he wants to make his community and the world a better place. His ultimate goal is to make people believe in themselves. “I think the biggest thing for me, it was just
Good Luck to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs
time for action for myself,” he said of his actions. “Speaking for myself, it was time for me to go in the community and do what I can to make the world a better place. I think it was built up from me getting more and more confidence being able to play, be myself and show myself and people respecting my platform and what I say.” “So I wanted to make sure that I did whatever I thought was best to help the world out and everybody. Try to make everybody feel equal and they could go out and fulfil their dreams,” Mahomes added. Being Patrick Mahomes means everyone is watching you. During the TV broadcast, the cameras showed Mahomes looking at his hands. It could have been him saying “back-to-back” trips to the Super Bowl, but others felt he was questioning the number two, as in finishing second to Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rogers in the MVP race. What Mahomes did reveal is he is a fan of the television show, Law & Order. “It’s kind of an ‘in the moment type thing.’ You don’t necessarily ... it’s not like it’s premeditated,” Mahomes said of his hand movements. “I guess that would be the word for it, watching my Law & Order!” “It’s something that comes out during the game and you are trying to do what you can to win and you kind of let that excitement out,” Mahomes continued. “It’s not that I feel disrespected. We get a lot of respect. But at the same time, this team, it was like we weren’t winning by enough, I guess that’s a stat? We wanted to show we could play good football when we wanted to.” One other question that came up was Mahomes’ ability to get the football to so many weapons on offense. During the off-season, as he has done since he was in fourth grade, Mahomes trains with Bobby Stroupe, founder and president of APEC and APEC Adaptive Foundation in Tyler. During those trainings, Mahomes practices throwing off-balance, different motions and looking away from his wide receiver, which throws off linebackers and safeties trying to help the defenders. “I’m just taking what’s there and getting the ball to the guys in space. I’m never someone that kind of chooses who I’m throwing to.” Mahomes said. “I just throw to whoever is open. And I’m sure the Bucs see that as well and will try to have a gameplan (to stop it).” Mahomes, who showed leadership at the end of the AFC Championship game by keeping his teammates calm as emotions were running high, showed why he has the respect of the locker room with one sentence. “I trust my guys over anybody,” he added.
On The Cover Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) reacts during the NFL divisional round football game against the Cleveland Browns, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2021, in Kansas City. (Tom DiPace via AP)
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SUPER BOWL LV PREVIEW
BATTLE
FACTS & FIGURES
FOR THE
AGES
AT STAKE National Football League Championship for the Vince Lombardi Trophy. The Chiefs are seeking their third trophy and second in a row after a 50-year drought; the Buccaneers are seeking their second trophy to go with the one they hoisted after the 2002 season.
PATRICK MAHOMES TOM BRADY
KICKOFF Sunday, Feb. 7, at 6:30 p.m. Eastern
SUPERSTAR QBs BRADY, MAHOMES TO FACE OFF IN SUPER BOWL LV
T
BY ARNIE STAPLETON AP Pro Football Writer
om Brady vs. Patrick Mahomes. The ageless quadragenarian quarterback and the magnificent millennial are the superstar attractions in Super Bowl 55 at Raymond James Stadium, the pinnacle of the NFL’s pandemic season marked by Zoom calls, juggled schedules, nasal swabs and mandated masks. Mahomes is the defending Super Bowl MVP who will become the only quarterback to start two Super Bowls by age 25. He’ll try to secure a second straight title for the Kansas City Chiefs (16-2), who ended a half-century drought last year with a furious fourth-quarter rally to beat San Francisco in Super Bowl 54. A week after beating scrappy Cleveland 22-17 in the divisional round for their eighth consecutive victory by six points or less, the cardiac Chiefs earned a return trip to the Super Bowl by rolling over the Buffalo Bills 38-24 in the AFC championship. Brady is seeking his record seventh ring but first with Tampa Bay after leading the Buccaneers (14-5) to their first NFC title in 18 years. It’s his first Super Bowl without Bill Belichick, whom he teamed up with in New England to make nine Super Bowl appearances over two decades of dominance in the AFC. In beating Green Bay 31-26 in the NFC championship at Lambeau Field behind Brady’s three touchdown passes and Shaq Barrett’s three sacks of Aaron Rodgers, the Bucs became the first team to get to play a Super Bowl in their home stadium. “That’s not where history has to end,” Barrett said. “We could be the first team to win it, as well, and that’s the key.” At 43, Brady will be the oldest player at any position to play in the Super Bowl. Mahomes and Brady have squared off four times before, including once in the playoffs. That was in the AFC championship at Arrowhead Stadium two years ago when the Patriots won 37-31 in overtime. Mahomes nearly prevailed that night but Charvarius Ward’s game-sealing interception of Brady’s pass in the final minute of
regulation was negated by Dee Ford’s offsides penalty when he lined up in the neutral zone. Brady went on to lead the Patriots past the Los Angeles Rams 13-3 in Super Bowl 53. Chiefs coach Andy Reid said he appreciated Brady coming into the Chiefs’ locker room after the conference championship to console a young Mahomes, who never got his hands on the ball in overtime. “He talked to Patrick, and Patrick responded like a young guy would respond to the G.O.A.T.,” said Reid, using the sobriquet that stands for “greatest of all time.” Mahomes said Brady’s gesture meant the world to him. “He just kind of re-emphasized that I was doing things the right way, that I was putting in the right work and that I would have more opportunities to be in these games,” Mahomes recounted. “I’ve been lucky enough to be in two more of them since and win both of those.” Now Mahomes gets another crack at beating Brady with the Lombardi Trophy on the line. The superstars separated by 18 years, one month and 14 days have split four previous matchups, with Mahomes winning the last two: 23-16 over New England in 2019 and 27-24 in Week 12 at Tampa Bay. Brady is playing in his 10th Super Bowl of a 21-year career and not only can he strengthen his claim as the greatest QB in history by winning one without Belichick, he can join his pal and one-time rival Peyton Manning as the only starting quarterbacks to win Super Bowls with two different teams. Manning won Super Bowl 41 with the Indianapolis Colts and Super Bowl 50 in his fourth and final season with the Denver Broncos a month before he retired. Brady faded down the stretch in his final season with the Patriots in 2019 but his departure from New England and subsequent signing with Tampa Bay stunned the NFL. While Brady had led the Patriots to 17 AFC East titles in 18 seasons as a starter (he was a backup as a rookie and suffered a season-ending knee injury in the 2008 opener), the Bucs hadn’t reached the playoffs since
2007, five years after winning their only Super Bowl. Moreover, Brady had to adjust to head coach Bruce Arians, offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich and his new teammates save for old buddy Rob Gronkowski without the benefit of a normal offseason because of COVID-19. Despite some early stumbles, Brady led his star-studded cast that included wide receivers Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Antonio Brown, running backs Ronald Jones and Leonard Fournette and tight ends Gronkowski and Cameron Brate to an 11-5 record and a return to the playoffs. A 1-5 mark against teams that reached the playoffs made the Bucs a longshot to win the George Halas Trophy as the NFC’s champ, but behind a terrific defense and Brady’s steady leadership on offense Tampa Bay joined the 1985 Patriots, 2005 Steelers, 2007 Giants and 2010 Packers as the only teams to reach a Super Bowl by winning three road playoff games. The Bucs dispatched Washington 31-23 and New Orleans 30-20 before beating the Packers for their eighth consecutive road win. Now, they’re the first team that won’t have to hit the road for the Super Bowl. “That’s the scary thing about having the Super Bowl at home — we’ve been playing so good on the road,” said Arians. This is Arians’ first Super Bowl appearance as a head coach at age 68. “I don’t think about what it means for me,” Brady said. “I do think about what it means for everyone else.” Like Arians, a three-time cancer survivor who stepped down as Arizona’s coach in 2017 and came out of retirement two years ago, leading the Bucs to a 7-9 record in 2019 before Brady’s momentous arrival. “There were times when I never thought it would happen,” Arians said. “I never thought I would get a head coaching job. After the cancer scare in Arizona, sitting out that year and coming back, this has been the most rewarding year of coaching in my life.”
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Good Luck Storage Ltd. Patrick Mahomes Wishes Patrick and the Chiefs. & The Chiefs a
PARTICIPANTS Tampa Bay Buccaneers (NFC) and Kansas City Chiefs (AFC). This is the fourth appearance for the Chiefs (2-1), who lost to the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl 1 in 1967, then beat Minnesota in Super Bowl 4 in 1970. It took them 50 years to get back but they beat San Francisco in Super Bowl 54 last year in Miami. The Buccaneers (1-0) are making their second appearance. They beat the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl 37. VENUE Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Fla., home to the Buccaneers, the first team ever to play a Super Bowl in its home stadium. This is the third Super Bowl at Raymond James and fifth in Tampa. SEATING CAPACITY The stadium seats 65,000 normally and is expandable to 75,000 but attendance will be limited to 22,000 because of the pandemic with 7,500 tickets going to healthcare workers who have received the COVID-19 vaccine. HALFTIME SHOW The Weeknd (yes, that’s spelled correctly) will perform in his first Super Bowl halftime show. The Canadian singer-songwriter is a three-time Grammy winner whose given name is Abel Makkonen Tesfaye. Billboard named his song “Blinding Lights” as the No. 1 song of 2020. NATIONAL ANTHEM Country artist Eric Church and R&B vocalist Jazmine Sullivan with sing “The Star Spangled Banner.” FIRST FEMALE SUPER BOWL OFFICIAL Down judge Sarah Thomas will become the first woman ever to officiate a Super Bowl. She also was the first woman to officiate a major college football game before being hired by the NFL in 2015. “Her elite performance and commitment to excellence has earned her the right to officiate the Super Bowl,” said Troy Vincent, the NFL’s executive vice president of football operations. Carl Cheffers, a 21-year veteran NFL official, will referee his second Super Bowl. He also was in charge during Super Bowl 51 in 2017, when Brady and the Patriots overcame a 25-point deficit and beat the Falcons in the biggest comeback and first overtime game in Super Bowl history. GAME COVERAGE Game can be watched on CBS television affiliates and on the CBS All Access app. CONTENT BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
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