Before the home game in Week 16 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Kansas City Chiefs stand at a 10-4 record. In part because Patrick Mahomes has taken a cue from Tom Brady.

Munich – It was almost two months ago to the day that Patrick Mahomes was speechless. Frustrated. Perplexed. In search of a solution.

Since then, things have happened that show the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback is one of the greats of his profession, as the 26-year-old has proven he can not only fire out of all guns and conjure up big plays on the field, but also lead a team. In the past eight weeks, he has led the Chiefs out of the crisis.

That, too, is one of the core tasks of a quarterback: finding solutions when they are called for.

A 3:4 record at the time had Mahomes facing some questions, to which he has since found answers. The result: Before the home game in Week 16 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the team is 10-4 – after seven wins in a row.

And this is also thanks to Tom Brady.

Because the playmaking legend has taken Mahomes as a role model, changed his game, adapted his approach. Because in the end, it’s all about the “W”, the “win”, in other words.

It’s all about the win

“One hundred percent,” Mahomes said when asked if Brady was a role model in the finding phase. “He just wants to win at the end of the day.” Or as Mahomes also puts it, “As long as you have that win, nothing else matters.” For the victories remain, the spectacle that Mahomes has stood for until now, that fades away when the victories fail to materialise.

And with that, the personal statistics become less important. Especially those. Because he’s learned that it feels “terrible” when he throws for 500 yards and five touchdowns but still loses the game.

For the most part, both success and spectacle have always worked, but this season Mahomes often didn’t really get anywhere with his style of play. He then always looked for the big solution, the risk pass, and tried to force something.

He had nine interceptions up to and including Week 7, since then he has only had four. At the same time, he only threw for more than 400 yards twice, for a total of eight touchdowns, but in the other five games he was always under 300 yards. In two games he did not score a touchdown, in two others only one.

His game now features a new facet: Patience. The strategic skills of a “game manager”. This is underpinned by the fact that he is self-critical and reflects on his performances, which is what makes the balancing act between new and old Mahomes possible in the first place.

“That’s something we had to learn,” Mahomes said. “I think that’s one of the biggest challenges this season. With the way defenders play against us, you have to learn how to take the short drives and make the long drives. I think that’s made us better because we can always have the big plays.”

More unpredictable because of the change

This makes Mahomes, and therefore the team, more unpredictable. But it is also clear that it is not only Mahomes who is contributing to the current success, but also, for example, the improved defence, it is coming together more and more, even if not everything is working as it did in previous years.

“If we can show that we can run down the field strategically and patiently, it will be hard for the defence to stop us,” Mahomes emphasises.

Then the problem child of the first half of the season will become a serious Super Bowl contender again after all.

Also thanks to Tom Brady.