Patrick Mahomes lost like a champion which can be harder to do than win like one

The lasting representation Patrick Mahomes near of the 2024 NFL play is that helium yet lost. 

He failed.

That, alternatively than proceed his pursuit of Tom Brady's grounds seven-ring Super Bowl domination and acceptable an unprecedented people by winning 3 consecutive championships, Mahomes fell short. And not conscionable fell abbreviated due to the fact that his squad betrayed him, but due to the fact that helium played poorly and wasn't what anyone, including himself, expected.

So, yes, bitter disappointment.

And bash you cognize how, amid each that decision and nonaccomplishment and disillusion, Mahomes handled the moment?

Like a champion.

He took his beating, arsenic did each the Kansas City Chiefs successful that 40-22 last that wasn't truly arsenic adjacent arsenic the score, and handled it similar a grown antheral afterward. Like a professional.

Like a winner.

Mahomes sought retired opposing backmost Jalen Hurts, shook his manus and offered congratulations. He besides shook hands with a mates of different victorious Philadelphia players, including violative tackle Lane Johnson, and past helium ran disconnected the field.

No large deal?

Tom Brady didn't shingle Nick Foles' manus aft the Eagles bushed the Patriots successful Super Bowl LII. Kyle Shanahan didn't shingle Andy Reid's manus aft the Super Bowl a twelvemonth ago. It's the classy happening to do, but sometimes the symptom and vexation of the infinitesimal hitch distant the veneer of bully sportsmanship.

Because losing these games hurts. A lot. And Mahomes has present mislaid 2 of them, including 1 to Brady successful Super Bowl LV.

"Um, I mean, some sucked," Mahomes said. "There’s nary mode astir it. Anytime you suffer a Super Bowl, it’s the worst feeling successful the world. They’ll instrumentality with you the remainder of your career. 

"I mean, these volition beryllium the 2 losses that volition motivate maine to beryllium adjacent amended for the remainder of my career, due to the fact that you lone get truthful fewer of these, and you person to capitalize connected these, and they wounded astir apt much than the wins consciousness good."

Let that marinate for a moment.

The losses elicit a greater lasting feeling than the victories. And yet, amid that benignant of idiosyncratic affectional cataclysm, Mahomes came to the podium to look reporters and answered astir 14 questions oregon truthful with patience and class.

He talked astir Jalen Hurts winning it all.

He talked astir Travis Kelce perchance retiring.

And helium addressed his unsmooth outing by really taking work for the loss.

"I threw 2 interceptions," Mahomes said. "I threw a pick-six, and I threw a prime that they returned to the 5-yard line, and they scored instantly after, truthful erstwhile you springiness a squad 14 points, particularly a truly bully shot team, a Super Bowl shot team, past not a batch of bully things happen. 

"And so, that’s wherefore I instrumentality ownership successful this nonaccomplishment much than astir apt immoderate nonaccomplishment successful my full career, due to the fact that I enactment america successful a atrocious spot, and adjacent though we enactment up immoderate stats astatine the extremity of the game, those stats didn’t truly matter, due to the fact that I’d already benignant of mislaid the momentum for this full team."

At the opening of Super Bowl week, Mahomes was asked aggregate times astir his faith. And helium boldly proclaimed his religion successful Jesus Christ. He talked openly astir God.

He said helium wants to usage Jesus arsenic an illustration of however to unrecorded his life.

And, predictably, the haters said that's casual to bash erstwhile your squad wins 15 of 17 regular-season games and 2 playoff games aft that. It's casual to beryllium adjacent to God erstwhile the breeze of consecutive Super Bowl wins is astatine one's back.

But what astir the unsmooth times?

Where was the quarterback's God Sunday evening portion helium was getting sacked six times? And wherever did this messiness of a crippled permission Mahomes and his professed faith?

The reply to some questions is precisely wherever it each was earlier the game.

God seemingly allowed the Chiefs to instrumentality 1 connected the chin. They accidental setbacks are a set-up for a large comeback. I judge that's successful the Gospels determination due to the fact that Jesus suffered unspeakable punishment connected the transverse connected Friday and died, but didn't enactment that mode precise long.

Sunday's expansive triumph surely came.

Mahomes, meanwhile, thanked God aft the Kansas City loss. He thanked God "for each accidental helium has fixed me."

That doesn't alteration the information the Eagles were better. It doesn't alteration the information Mahomes went location with an L.

But neither did that nonaccomplishment alteration the information Mahomes took the setback similar a champion.

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