5 reasons Chiefs can win the Super Bowl this year

3. QB Patrick Mahomes is…Patrick Mahomes

He sat on the bench for the vast majority of his rookie season and made his first NFL start in a Week 17 win at Denver. He finished with 5,097 passing yards, 50 scores (12 interceptions) and captured league MVP honors his second pro campaign as the Chiefs advanced to the AFC title game for the first time since 1993. And the third year proved to be the charm despite missing a pair of contests. For the season, there were 4,031 yards through the air, to go along with 16 TD tosses and just five interceptions.

Andy Reid’s team would capture Super Bowl LIV, 31-20, via a comeback victory over the San Francisco 49ers in which the gifted quarterback overcame two interceptions by throwing for 286 yards and two scores and rushing for one touchdown to earning game MVP accolades.

Three-year-pro Patrick Mahomes, the recipient of a monster contract this offseason (via ESPN’s Bill Barnwell), hopes to stay out of harm’s way this season. He is a gifted passer and still has plenty to learn. But perhaps his biggest impact during the club’s championship run was his inspiring attitude when the team trailed the Texans early in the second quarter, 24-0, in the divisional playoffs. You can’t teach that kind of leadership.