Patrick Mahomes (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images)
A fake stat on Kansas City Chiefs superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes has gone viral, and some fans actually believe it’s accurate.
On Monday afternoon, the @TylerBoydSzn X/Twitter account posted a screenshot of a false stat from a Buffalo Bills’ fan website which claims that Patrick Mahomes has had 53 (!) interceptions overturned by a penalty.
To make things clear, the amount of Mahomes turnovers by an interception is nowhere close to that. Joe DiBiase of WGR 550 reports that the number is actually 17, not even half of the 53 that the Bills fan claims.
Though the X/Twitter user later acknowledged that the stat was inaccurate, plenty of folks bought the false stat anyway:
And though it’s easy to play the “refs are saving Patrick Mahomes” card, keep in mind that he’s usually taking advantage of the oppositions’ mistakes when he throws a pick nullified by a penalty.
Like Aaron Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes has aced the art of drawing defensive players offside and taking shots on free plays. Those “free plays” are usually aggressive and risky deep shots that are wiped out by the penalties anyway.
Mahomes threw two interceptions in Sunday afternoon’s Week 2 home contest against the Cincinnati Bengals, but he was able to orchestrate a game-winning drive (thanks to a controversial Daijahn Anthony pass interference penalty) that culminated in Harrison Butker’s walk-off field goal.
Patrick Mahomes & Chiefs Are Sitting Pretty At 2-0
The Chiefs haven’t played their best football yet, but they are a perfect 2-0 with nail-biting victories over two other Super Bowl contenders in Lamar Jackson’s Baltimore Ravens and Joe Burrow’s Cincinnati Bengals.
Kansas City owns the head-to-head tiebreaker on the Ravens and Bengals, and sluggish starts by the New York Jets (1-1), Miami Dolphins (1-1) and Cleveland Browns (1-1) already have the Chiefs in good position to secure the No. 1 seed for a third straight year.