Patrick Mahomes out to prove his Super Bowl focus won't be shaken by distractions
LAS VEGAS – Let Patrick Mahomes tell us what it takes to handle the pressure of the big stage. Lord knows the 28-year-old Kansas City Chiefs phenom, poised to become the youngest quarterback to start four Super Bowls, is the most credible voice in the room on this matter.
"Every experience you have in the Super Bowl, you just learn to calm your mind and be very even-keeled and just try to go out there and be yourself," Mahomes said on Thursday during his final media session before Super Bowl 58. "That's something that I really try to do in these big games. Don't try to make it more than it is."
Judging by his demeanor in handling the media blitz during Super Bowl week, Mahomes is in typical championship form. Never mind the narrative that suggests he's a villain now because he wins too much. Sure, he's competitive. And we saw just how fiery he can get after that loss to Buffalo a few weeks ago when they had to hold him back as he blew up on officials who, well, made the right call.
On the ramp-up to the showdown on Sunday, the reigning Super Bowl MVP has been plenty cool in dealing with hundreds of questions that have ranged from the challenge of facing the San Francisco 49ers defense to his preference (soft or hard shell) for tacos. Polite. Humble. Thoughtful. Engaging. Expressing love for the kids. Mahomes has looked a lot like Mahomes, which means the 49ers had better be plenty wary of encountering an assassin dressed with mild manners.
Yet I'm wondering whether Mahomes was thrown for any type of loop after his father, former Major League Baseball pitcher Pat Mahomes, was arrested in Tyler, Texas, and charged with driving while intoxicated for the third time last Saturday night, on the eve of the Chiefs' departure for their Super Bowl trip. Talk about added pressure.
Fortunately, there was no accident and no one was injured in the elder Mahomes' incident, unlike the drunk-driving-influenced crash before Super Bowl 55 that involved Chiefs coach Andy Reid's son, Britt, and left a 5-year-old girl seriously injured. (Britt Reid, who was then the Chiefs linebackers coach, is now serving a three-year prison sentence).
Asked about his father's arrest during his first media session on Monday night, Mahomes said his father was, "Doing good. It's a family matter. That's all I really have to say at this point."
According to Texas law, if Mahomes Sr. is convicted for a third time on a felony DWI charge, he could face up to 10 years in state prison and a $10,000 fine.
It was understandable, and professional enough, that Mahomes didn't want to use a public stage – and especially one provided by the NFL's signature event – to delve into the issues surrounding his father, who celebrated the quarterback's Super Bowl victories of previous years on the field as it rained confetti. We can wonder, though, how Mahomes' consistent approach in dealing with high-profile pressure carries over to processing the drama with his father and whether it constitutes a significant distraction.
After all, for all of the magic the two-time Super Bowl MVP and two-time league MVP demonstrates on the football field, he's human, too. When I asked him during a news conference early in the week about the potential for distraction, Mahomes seemed to indicate that it won't affect his focus.
"I think the great thing about football, the great thing about our team, has been the great brotherhood," Mahomes said. "When we're in the building, we're together. That's just how we roll with things."
Don't make it bigger than it is.
At least one of Mahomes' teammates, wide receiver Mecole Hardman, doesn't have a hint of a question that the face of the franchise will be locked in for the pending challenge.
"He's great for a reason," Hardman told USA TODAY Sports. "Once you're in that building, man, you leave everything outside outside. Once you're on that field, you don't let nothing distract you and get in your way. I think he does a job at doing that."
Mahomes did address the topic of distractions this week, but it was in a totally different context than anything flowing from his father's arrest. Mindful of the temptations of Sin City, Mahomes said he made a pledge to teammates.
"This is a business trip," Mahomes said, according to James Palmer of NFL Network. "I told the guys if we win, I'll bring everyone back to Vegas to celebrate."
That says something about Mahomes' mindset as the chance to win a third Super Bowl ring looms. There's also another motivator: losing. He hasn't forgotten the taste of Super Bowl 55 against Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, when he was weakened by an ankle injury and battered by a relentless defense. He threw two picks and was sacked three times in that outing, finishing with a 52.3 passer rating.
"I've lost a Super Bowl and I know how bad that hurts, and you want to make sure you stay away from that feeling," Mahomes said. "I'm almost more addicted to staying away from that feeling than I am hoisting the trophy."
Given that, imagine the gut-checks that came during the roller-coaster ride of the regular season. A few weeks ago, the Chiefs seemed ill-equipped to make it back to the Super Bowl as the typically prolific offense sputtered amid mistakes such as dropped passes and challenges that included a leaky offensive line. Mahomes, captured by TV cameras at various points showing extreme frustration, pointed a finger at himself, too.
"There were times this year when I feel like I wasn't playing my best football," Mahomes said. "So, to be able to just have that (resilient) mindset, I think that's what got us here.
"There's a lot of cameras on the football field," he added. "They caught me in some bad moments. So, I just try to be better and better every single time I'm out there."
Lately, the Chiefs have proven their championship mettle, with Mahomes playing rather flawless during the playoff run and the Steve Spagnuolo-coordinated defense continuing its dominance. After Kansas City turned back the Miami Dolphins in the playoff opener, they won the first two road playoff games with Mahomes – ousting the Buffalo Bills, then scoring an even bigger upset against the top-seeded Baltimore Ravens in the AFC championship game. During the playoffs, Mahomes has completed 68% of his passes and fired four touchdown passes without an interception. Granted, he's had more impressive numbers over a three-game stretch. Yet given the stakes and the competition, he's played his best football – and his unit meshed – at the ideal time.
"It's definitely been a great run," Mahomes said. "I always liked that first Super Bowl run, just being down in all those games and winning those games was special. This would be a good one, to be able to beat the teams we beat to win that championship. We're excited for the opportunity."
Sounds like a man ready to face the pressure of the big stage again. It sure worked out the last time. Mahomes threw for 182 yards against the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl 57, but he posted his highest Super Bowl passer rating (131.8) and threw for three touchdowns without a turnover. And they won as an underdog.
Seems familiar? The 49ers are a slight favorite.
"Someone's going to be an underdog," Mahomes said. "So, I think our mindset is knowing we're going to have to play our best football. It's going to be a great opportunity for us to go out there and show where we've kind of come from the beginning of the season to the end."
Distractions or not, it's quite the plan.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Patrick Mahomes' Super Bowl focus won't be shaken by distractions
