Laid-back Pat: As The Chiefs Chase Super Bowl History, Patrick Mahomes Exudes A Steadying Calm

Patrick Mahomes felt as though he needed to apologize after he helped the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Buffalo Bills in the AFC championship game, punching their ticket to the Super Bowl for the third consecutive season.

Not for the outcome, but for quite possibly the worst spike in NFL history.

In a back-and-forth tussle between two of the NFL's top teams , the Chiefs were driving early in the fourth quarter last weekend for the go-ahead score. Mahomes took off to the right and powered into the end zone and, with his adrenaline amped to the max, scrambled to his feet and attempted to spike the ball - only for it to squib out of his hand and into the sideline.

"That," Mahomes said, "is why I don't try to spike the ball."

It was a natural outburst of unbridled joy, though, from a quarterback whose fiery will to win has become almost legendary. But on the entire drive leading up to the score, Mahomes had been the complete opposite: calm, poised and under control.