Patrick Mahomes' Confidence Finally Backfired

Part of what makes Patrick Mahomes the otherworldly quarterback he has become is his, well, otherworldly sense of self-confidence. All elite athletes must possess that to the degree it becomes arrogance. Greatness cannot be accomplished without the borderline irrational and unshakeable belief that greatness is always within arm's reach. Mahomes sees throws that others will never see and makes those throws in part because of this confidence.

But even for a superstar, that confidence can backfire. Even the greatest overextend themselves. The NFL Films special on the AFC Championship Game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals showed the moment where Mahomes' firmly-held belief that he can get the job done sunk his team's chances at a third straight Super Bowl appearance.

With the ball on the Bengals' goal-line, less than 10 seconds to go, and no timeouts, Andy Reid considered going the safe route and sending out the field goal unit after a Mahomes incompletion. Up 21-10 at that point, the Chiefs would have entered halftime with a two-touchdown lead after a chip shot field goal and would receive the ball at the start of the third quarter. That's a comfortable cushion for any team regardless of opponent and an especially comfortable cushion for an offense that could not be stopped by any mortal defense.

But Mahomes went over to the sideline and insisted to Reid that they should run one more play. Reid obliged, because why wouldn't he trust his MVP? Then, well... We all know what happened.

The music is perhaps overly ominous but it certainly sets the tone. This was the moment the entire game changed. The Bengals were reenergized by the stop and all the wind was gone from the Chiefs' sails.

Now Cincinnati is preparing for the Super Bowl and Mahomes has a long offseason to think about how it all went wrong.