With Patrick Mahomes dominating the NFL and taking over from Tom Brady, talkSPORT takes a holiday look at Mahomes’ 12 most important life moments…
There are few more daunting sights for a defender than lining up on a football field against Mahomes and Travis Kelce.
Since 2018, Kansas City’s dynamic duo have combined for an incredible 54 touchdown passes in the regular season alone, making them one of the most prolific QB/TE partnerships in NFL history.
Only Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski, who combined for 90 TD passes, and Philip Rivers and Antonio Gates, who combined for 89, are more successful.
Mahomes and Kelce have also proven to be one of the most dangerous duos in the postseason too.
Together, the pair have won the Super Bowl three times with the Chiefs, and the franchise is chasing a historic three-peat in 2024.
On the field, their connection has seemed almost telepathic at times – and it’s clear both men have serious respect for one another.
“Thank God I play with Patty Mahomes, man. He was the difference,” Kelce said earlier this year, recalling how the QB took command of the Chiefs to lead them to victory against the San Francisco 49ers at Super Bowl LVIII back in February.
“He just put it all together and it’s just so much fun playing with him because he can just take over a game at the end like that when you know your team needs it the most.”
While their connection hasn’t been quite as potent this season – they have only combined for two touchdowns through 16 weeks – it’s clear their bromance continues to flourish.
“He means the world to me, man,” Mahomes said of Kelce after a win against the Los Angeles Chargers in December.
“Without getting emotional, he’s a guy who has really kind of made me who I am in my career and (he’s a) true leader on the football field.
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“Everybody says ‘security blanket’ but someone that I can go to at any moment and he’s going to make a big play happen.
“As he’s gone throughout his career, he’s never dropped off as far as his work ethic and the way he leads, and I think that’s super important when you have a guy that’s going to have a gold jacket and he’s the hardest-working dude on the team.”
While their partnership on the field is impressive alone, it extends far beyond the confines of Arrowhead Stadium.
Away from football, they share a special bond too – and Mahomes has been catapulted into a new stratosphere thanks to Kelce’s high-profile relationship with Taylor Swift.
The two football stars have been known to share family moments and travel together, taking in other sporting events like the tennis and basketball.
And over the summer, they even took a trip to Amsterdam to support Swift at one of her concerts, further raising their profiles outside of the sporting world.
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Patrick and his wife, Brittany Mahomes, also joined Kelce and Swift at an Eras Tour-themed party after the singer wrapped her historic tour in December.
The pair have also been seen supporting each other at numerous charity events, and that kind of work is arguably bigger than anything they can achieve on the field.
But when Mahomes and Kelce next combine for a touchdown pass, it will be a record-breaking one.
The 35-year-old tight end has 76 touchdown catches for the Chiefs – tied with fellow legend Tony Gonzalez for the most in franchise history – and one more will see him claim the record for himself.
Given that Mahomes and Kelce share such a deep bond, the inevitable moment that the QB finds his TE in the end zone one more time is guaranteed to be very special indeed.
Happy Holidays
With Patrick Mahomes in action on Christmas Day when the Chiefs face the Steelers on Netflix, talkSPORT are taking a look at the stories that have shaped the face of the league