Patrick Mahomes is the simple, undeniable reason why the Chiefs can make a three-peat

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – Even Kansas City Chiefs fans seemed bored watching the unusual 10-10-10 practice. In nearly 90 minutes, Andy Reid logged 30 plays, 10 each on offense, defense and special teams.

It was Day 12 of the training camp. The first adrenaline camp was long it’s gone. And it was a scorching heat, a humid heat typical of Missouri fields.

However Patrick Mahomes looked like he was having the time of his life.

That’s when it hit me: Maybe we’ve been overdoing the comparison between Tom Brady and Mahomes. Maybe we’re missing the mark comparing the New England Patriots to the Chiefs.

The more I watched Reid, Mahomes and the Kings at work, the more I realized how different they are than the Bill Belichick-Brady Patriots. There’s no denying that Kansas City is royalty, just like New England. The Chiefs are undeniably the favorite to win the Super Bowl, and therefore, are on the verge of becoming the first team to win back-to-back championships. And yes, Mahomes is the Reason why,​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

But Mahomes couldn’t be more different than Brady, although they would always be compared to each other.

Brady was an incredible control hell bent on repetition, intensity and depth. His dependence on form led to his stability and his size. It was a perfect quarterback for Belichick.

Mahomes is a living memory of football players play, that this is all a game. It is not only game, sure, but Mahomes plays with the joy and creativity that helps him achieve his unique greatness. He’s the perfect fit for Reid, who knows how to rock a Hawaiian shirt better than anyone.

The more you watch Mahomes, the better he gets. And Reid embraces that fun side, building the team’s identity around Mahomes’ personality — not just his skills.

“Yeah, absolutely,” Reid said Monday. “Because you want new things [in the playbook]. And so, you can build it around his personality. “

Amazingly, Mahomes’ antics don’t take away from his competitive spirit. The Las Vegas Raiders recently mocked Mahomes’ arrogance. Offensive line safety Trey Taylor used a Kermit the Frog doll to fake what Mahomes sounds like when he talks.

And that level of arrogance fueled the QB’s deadly instincts.

“It’s going to work when it’s worked,” Mahomes told reporters.

It was cold. It was a no-brainer moment.

For the past few seasons, the Chiefs have lived off Mahomes’ killer mentality.

The Chiefs know it’s that mentality that can take them to the Super Bowl in February 2025. And it’s that dual nature that makes Mahomes so easy, there’s no denying it.

All those examples of Mahomes being a killer – they make it hard to reconcile with this guy at Chiefs camp on Friday. The quarterback covered his eyes and played a silly game before attempting to throw the ball into the right net. And he almost hit it!

On Sunday, Mahomes came off the field early and started flipping the football over his head, like a rainbow in a football game. Later in practice, he carried the football like a football. When he met former Raiders and Bucs coach Jon Gruden at practice, Mahomes walked over and said something that got Gruden, backup QB Carson Wentz and general manager Brett Veach laughing. Then on Monday, Reid called a hook-and-ladder game in the team’s second practice game for the tournament.

What kind of group does that?!

A hook and a stick written for Play 2!?

Well, I guess it’s a bunch of killers. I think it’s the Mahomes team. And at some point, that poor play will help the Chiefs win a big game. Put in it.

Ask any of Mahomes’ teammates and they’ll tell you he plays like an NFL player.

I’d be willing to bet that Mahomes made the team’s quadruple pass that went viral in July. It’s no secret that Mahomes is the mastermind behind the game’s over-the-top trickery (which makes the game plan every time). There is wisdom in that — letting Mahomes design plays and encourage the team to practice them. It continues to create resentment around him.

[McKenna: Patrick Mahomes is Chiefs’ trick-play engineer. Here’s how they come together]

Mahomes has a unique way of balancing the simple joys of football while focusing on the ultimate goal: another win in February. He doesn’t want this one any less than his other three.

However, those titles made him want one more.

“For us — I’ll speak for myself — I mean, when you don’t win it now, it’s frustrating because you know what it’s going to be like if you keep winning it,” Mahomes said.

Perhaps part of why Reid promotes Mahomes’ madness is because it helps the medicine go down.

Because of the size of Reid’s playbook and the rate at which the Chiefs add plays, he asks players to memorize about 15 plays a day. This dynastic team also hosts a training camp at Missouri Western State University, where the players – many of them millions – sleep in dormitories. Reid asks many of his players. His Hawaiian quarterback shirt helps everything go smoothly.

Mahomes is a great player. He is a brilliant football mind. He is a good leader. We see all of that every Sunday.

Something less often seen, but important: the way he lifts the spirit of the Chiefs – the way he reminds his teammates what football is all about. That it is still the game they played as children. The Chiefs fully agree with that view. And that’s one of the big reasons why Kansas City can win again.

It’s about Mahomes, who is one part football player and one part assassin.

Prior to joining FOX Sports as an AFC East reporter, Henry McKenna spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @henrycmckenna.

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