Is Patrick Mahomes the Thanos of the NFL? | Ekeler’s Edge

Los Angeles Chargers running back Austin Ekeler and Yahoo Sports’ Fantasy Analyst Matt Harmon discuss the Chiefs’ comeback 30-27 victory over Austin’s Chargers. Austin loves the highly contested battles between his Chargers and the Chiefs, but would prefer to be on the other end of the outcome. Matt asks if Mahomes’ patented comebacks are inevitable? Catch fresh episodes of Ekeler’s Edge every Wednesday on Yahoo Sports and your favorite social media platforms. Listen to Ekeler’s Edge on the Yahoo Fantasy Football Forecast wherever you get podcasts.

Video Transcript

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MATT HARMON: Let's get into it. Chiefs 30, Chargers 27.

AUSTIN EKELER: [? Ugh. ?] [? Ugh. ?]

MATT HARMON: I'm--

AUSTIN EKELER: Man! Man.

I said this to a reporter in the middle of the week, like, this game will come down to all 60 minutes like it always does. Every time we play these guys, it comes down to every single second mattering in the game, that one team could potentially win or lose all the way down to the end. And that did not disappoint. That was exactly the situation.

We felt, like, coming out strong. It was a close game the entire time with a couple of lead changes, which always makes it a little bit more exciting, even though not necessarily for us as players, but for everyone else. Like, aww, this is a good game. They're going back and forth.

But, man, we just weren't able to give ourselves the cushion that we knew we were gonna need. We needed to get ourselves a 2-score lead going against Patrick, man, and that offense, because we know what they can in two-minute. We've seen that.

They've done that, and they've proven that. We came out flat in the third quarter. We only had six plays in the third quarter, two three-and-outs.

MATT HARMON: Wow.

AUSTIN EKELER: And so those little things like that-- I had little opportunities here and there to capitalize on and get in the end zone even more. But that's football. Like, we went out there and fought as hard as we can, just like we do every week. And that was one of those where it's back and forth, both of us making plays.

And that's the NFL for you, man. You can go out there and fight as hard as you can, but guess what. That doesn't guarantee anything because there's another team on the other side doing the exact same thing. And so it was a glorious battle, and I'll always remember our Chiefs-Chargers battles going forward, man, 'cause they're always epic.

MATT HARMON: Yeah, I mean, I think the Herbert-Mahomes matchup is gonna be one of those for a long, long time. You know, Chargers-Chiefs, obviously, is gonna be a must-see thing. You kind of answered it, 'cause I was gonna ask you, you know, what is your mindset as somebody that's on the sideline that's got to watch Mahomes go out there with less than two minutes?

Because I tell you what, man. I write a recap column every Sunday night-- the five things I care about, the five things I don't care about. And I know that I've written the line, the headline, I even said it in this week's edition-- I know I've written this before, but I'm writing it again. Patrick Mahomes is just inevitable.

Like, he's got-- he's like Thanos, right? In the end of frickin' "Infinity Wars," where I am inevitable, he snaps his finger, like, that-- he is that dude. I had to laugh, too, when the broadcast-- obviously, you didn't see this, but the broadcast puts up like, oh, the Chiefs have a 24% win probability with the under two minutes. Like, OK, well, I don't know what the model says, but you can go ahead and throw the model in the trash when 15 comes out there. It's just gotta be exhausting knowing that that guy is gonna go out and do his thing.

AUSTIN EKELER: Yeah, man, like, I'm there like, come on, defense. Come on, defense, right? But, yeah, he's a great player. And he's shown that, and that's what he does.

In those types of moments, he comes alive with his legs or when he's throwing the ball, right? He makes good decisions. And who else comes alive for him? Number 87, Travis Kelce. Oh my god, one of the best players, just in the league in general.

And so both of them together in two-minute, those dudes come alive. And they definitely did for their team. And, yeah, man. Like, as [? a ?] guy on the sideline, I'm just sitting there like, come on, defense. We just need to play and weren't able to get it done.

I could see us, if we take care of business, looking forward to being able to play them, 'cause that's a team that you probably gonna have to play three times a year. I don't shy away from it. I love facing those guys. It's always a fun battle, win or lose. Obviously feels better to win. But, man, it's just a reminder of why I love to grind and go play this game.

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