The Kansas City Chiefs never finished a season before reaching the AFC Championship Game since Patrick Mahomes became their full-fledged starting quarterback. He took over from Alex Smith and never looked back.

Six seasons later, the former Texas Tech standout has won two Super Bowl titles, two NFL Most Valuable Player awards, and two Super Bowl MVP honors. Those achievements are enough for an entire career. However, Mahomes is only 28 and has a lot of football left in him.

But before looking into the distant future, he helped the Kansas City Chiefs reach Super Bowl LVIII despite playing road playoff games for the first time in his career. Keeping the dream of becoming back-to-back Super Bowl winners alive made him the first NFL quarterback to start in four Super Bowls before turning 30.

While some franchises haven’t reached the Super Bowl, Mahomes has the Chiefs playing in four over the last five seasons. But it isn’t all roses for him because he lost to Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl LV. He failed to reach Super Bowl LVI after Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals defeated them.

Standing in his way to a third Super Bowl title are the San Francisco 49ers, the NFC’s top seed throughout the playoffs. Mahomes defeated the Niners in Super Bowl LIV. But that was four years ago, and San Francisco has added key players like Javon Kinlaw, Brandon Aiyuk, Christian McCaffrey, and Brock Purdy.

Since they’ve been here before, Mahomes will rely on his experience to calm his teammates to avoid overthinking. If they win Super Bowl LVIII on February 11, getting a third Lombardi Trophy should cement his case for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

But it’s too early for that discussion because the Chiefs will remain competitive regardless of the game’s outcome. With Patrick Mahomes in great shape, the Chiefs could contend for more Super Bowls after this one.

-Lance Fernandez