Why Patrick Mahomes Has Unique Edge Over Chargers

The Chargers and Chiefs are anticipated to be in a close battle for the AFC West division title this season, along with the Denver Broncos. Three of the four franchises in the division made the playoffs last season and only improved this offseason, making this Week 1 matchup a must-win for Kansas City.

The Chiefs quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, has become very familiar with the Chargers since donning the uniform for the first time in 2017. Becoming the starting quarterback for the franchise in 2018 has pushed Mahomes to face every team in the National Football League, and his performances prove why he's one of the best to do it.

Mahomes has faced the Chargers more than 10 times in his NFL career thus far, but since he's played several games with different players on the roster for the Chargers, let's look into how well Mahomes performed last season against Los Angeles.

Game 1

The Chiefs and Mahomes took on the Chargers at the end of Sept last season, resulting in Kansas City walking away with a 17-10 victory, pushing the Chiefs' record to 4-0. In that game, Mahomes did the best he could with defenders getting to him several times, even sacking him three times.

Overall, Mahomes had 19 completions in 29 attempts, giving him a passer rating of 89.0. In those 19 completions, Mahomes threw for 245 passing yards, with one touchdown pass and one interception thrown. Mahomes found tight end Travis Kelce the most in that game, as Kelce hauled in 89 receiving yards in seven receptions.

Game 2

Mahomes saw the Chargers again in Dec last year, once again helping the Chiefs to another close victory. In that game, Mahomes had several opportunities to keep his team in the game, and luckily for their home record's sake, he was successful.

In 24 completions, 37 attempts, Mahomes collected 210 passing yards, threw one touchdown, zero interceptions, yet was once again sacked three times. Mahomes got familiar with getting brought down last season, something the franchise set out to improve this offseason.

All in all, Mahomes has had recent success against the Chargers, both at home and on the road. Going into Week 1, looking to get off to a strong start after a brutal end to the 2024 campaign, Mahomes could be the quarterback to watch on Friday.