Patrick Mahomes walked onto the field at Caesars Superdome on Monday with plenty expecting him to orchestrate the fourth Super Bowl victory of his illustrious football career.
Within two hours there were punters labelling his performance one of the worst they had seen on the big stage.
Mahomes – who earns about $72 million per season to guide the Kansas City Chiefs – was sacked three times and threw two interceptions in a disastrous first half as Philadelphia took a 24-0 lead into the main break.
“This is an absolute beatdown,” ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky said as the Eagles ran riot.
Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs. Getty
Squarely in the crosshairs was quarterback Mahomes, who struggled badly and bizarrely looked overawed compared to his Philly counterpart Jalen Hurts.
Hurts scored the opening touchdown of the game thanks to an Eagles tush push.
Mahomes then threw an interception for Cooper DeJean who sprinted away to extend that lead.
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“The worst game of his career,” Orlosvky said.
“Patrick has to settle down a little bit and play more like himself.
“I have never seen Mahomes this unsettled … this defensive line is hunting.”
The other ESPN commentators could barely believe what they were seeing from the three-time Super Bowl champion.
“Sack, sack, pick six – you can’t get worse than that,” Chris Fowler said.
Social media was, predictably, even less kind to the embattled Chiefs superstar.
Mahomes had previously been spoken of in the company of the legendary Tom Brady but ESPN’s Louis Riddick cast doubt on those comparisons after the first half on Monday.
“If you’re going to be Patrick Mahomes, if you’re going to be in that GOAT conversation… you can’t have that kind of half, and basically have the game end with you playing at that level,” Riddick said.
“I have never seen that out of him in a first half of football.”