Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is easily the best passer in the National Football League and arguably the greatest the League has seen since Tom Brady’s twenty-year reign. The Chiefs’ eight-year veteran has three Super Bowl rings and a long list of milestones and accolades that make him a first-ballot HOFer, but the 28-year-old is nowhere near close to hanging up the cleats.
On Thursday, the Chiefs opened the start to the 2024 NFL regular season on GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium against the Baltimore Ravens, which Kansas City held on for a thrilling 27-20 victory to begin the year 1-0. The win was Kansas City’s fifth out of six meetings against Lamar Jackson and Co., but that wasn’t the only milestone of the night.
During the game, Mahomes finally passed PFHOFer and MVP of Super Bowl IV Len Dawson as the Chiefs’ all-time passing leader. Dawson’s been the all-time passing leader since his retirement after the 1975 NFL season.
Mahomes finished Week 1, completing 71.4% of his passes for 291 yards, one touchdown, and an interception. The three-time Super Bowl MVP now leads the Chiefs with 28,715 yards passing, leaping over Dawson’s 28,507 career passing yards.
That number will continue to grow since there’s an entire season left for Mahomes to sling the football and with all the different playmakers Kansas City has on the roster, 2024 should be one of Mahomes’ best passing seasons yet. By the time he hangs up the cleats – hopefully, no time soon – the Chiefs’ career passing record may be impossible for any future Chiefs quarterback to outdo.
After the game, head coach Andy Reid took notice of Mahomes’ recent milestone but gave his props to Dawson.
“I love when we can mention Len Dawson, what a great player he was,” Reid recalled. “[Patrick Mahomes] could pass him up for the all-time yardage mark., [but] that’s not taking anything away from Len, he was a spectacular football player.”
Mahomes will have the entire season to add to his new career accolade, starting with the Cincinnati Bengals on September 15.
