Patrick Mahomes Plays Better on the Road Than You Might Think

At this point in his career, Patrick Mahomes is largely a proven commodity. We know that the quarterback has a big-time arm and largely delivers in the clutch moments. We've seen him pile up numbers in the regular season and lead his Kansas City Chiefs to postseason glory. But there's one situation in which Mahomes hasn't found himself: a true road playoff game.

Well, at least until now.

On Sunday, Mahomes will play his first non–Super Bowl postseason game away from Arrowhead Stadium, as the Chiefs head east to Buffalo, New York. And while you can interpret that reality however you prefer—the QB is either facing a new challenge or is undefeated in this situation—we can consider the larger scope of his career.

Believe it or not, he's actually posted better stats on the road than in the friendly confines of Arrowhead.

Let's crunch the numbers.

Mahomes' Road Stats Shine

In the world of sports, it's something of a cliché to assume that it's easier to win in your own backyard. Home field advantage, for example, is the reward for a successful regular season.

The Chiefs' star signal-caller, however, seems as if he doesn't really need the help.

During his NFL career, Mahomes has appeared in 96 regular-season games. They've been divided fairly evenly, with 47 taking place in Kansas City and 49 being played on the road.

In terms of overall record, the QB has lost an equal number of contests (11) home and away, but he has recorded two extra wins (38 to 36) on the road. And his counting numbers follow a similar trend.

At Arrowhead, Mahomes has completed 1,153 passes (just under 65 percent of his throws) for 13,391 yards and 100 touchdowns. He's also thrown 30 interceptions, absorbed 78 sacks and posted a 99.3 quarterback rating.

Those are more than respectable totals, but No. 15 manages to one-up himself during the Chiefs' travels.

He completed more passes (1,233, or 68 percent of his throws) away from Arrowhead, piling up 15,033 yards and 119 touchdowns. He's also posted a 107.6 QB rating on the road. Mahomes has been sacked fewer times (70) in away games, but he has thrown marginally more interceptions (33).

And, for what it's worth, the two-time Super Bowl champ has spoken about his comfort donning the metaphorical black hat in front of a hostile crowd.

"I like to be the villain," Mahomes told CBS News in July 2023. "Obviously, it's cool at Arrowhead to be the hero and win the games and host the AFC Championship trophy. But it's just as fun, no offense to any of my division opponents, to go to their places and win those games. Both are great, but I like to be the villain sometimes."

And while he was speaking about divisional games, there's no reason to think a road game outside of the AFC West would suddenly become his kryptonite.

So what does this all mean ahead of uncharted postseason territory? While it's not a guarantee of success, there have been plenty of individual successes and failures within those 49 road starts and they suggest that Mahomes won't be out of his depth on Sunday. If anything, he might be even more plugged in and ready to quiet the crowd.

And, as we've seen firsthand over the past six years, there's no counting KC out when No. 15 is standing under center.