Patrick Mahomes still building his legacy as Chiefs' QB readies for third Super Bowl

Seven years into what has already been a highly successful NFL career, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes still gets a special feeling with every big game he plays.

There have been many. Sunday will be his third Super Bowl (Mahomes is 1-1 and was the Super Bowl 54 Most Valuable Player) and his 14th postseason game in six seasons. It's actually more like five, as Mahomes was Alex Smith's understudy in 2017 as a rookie and appeared in one game.

"I think it feels more special the older you get, because you have the failure, the failure of not getting to this game," Mahomes said Tuesday morning at the Chiefs' team hotel in Scottsdale. "And whenever you're not here and then you get to be back on this stage again, it gets more special because you never know how many more times you're going to get."

Mahomes will have a huge edge in experience Sunday in Super Bowl 57 over his Philadelphia Eagles counterpart, Jalen Hurts. He's won a Super Bowl and lost one.

"Even though I didn't have my best game, I came through when it counted and was able to win it. And the loss obviously (Super Bowl 55 against Tampa Bay), I left everything out there, but when you lose, that feeling you have in the locker room after is a terrible feeling," Mahomes said. "You're so close to your ultimate prize. So you take motivation from that and try to do whatever you can to make sure that you have that winning feeling, because that's one that you can have forever as well."

But there is no legacy to think about just yet for the 27-year-old, who said he will do so when he's done playing the game.

All of Tuesday's comments were predicated on the general feeling that Mahomes will be able to not just function but play well on a high ankle sprain. Mahomes was hobbling during the AFC Championship Game after being hurt a little over two weeks ago in the divisional round against Jacksonville.

There's been no indication that Mahomes won't play in the Super Bowl, but he doesn't seem likely to be fully healed. Still, Mahomes wants to have no restrictions and said his ankle is in a "way better position" than it was before the team's last game.

During the AFC championship against Cincinnati, Mahomes admitted to "easing up" when rolling out.

"This week I'm going to go ahead and try to push it and try to be as close to 100 percent as I can," Mahomes said. "Obviously not trying to tweak it or do anything like that, but we've done a great job this last week and a half of just giving it rest when we need to, but still pushing it and being in the right spot."

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said Mahomes has used the best technology available in working with the team's training staff.

"(He) has been able to make these jumps here where he can actually function and play in the game," Reid said.

Mahomes admitted it took him a few years to fully grasp the Chiefs' offense. But now teammates and former players rave about his ability to lead and make all the reads and throws that make him elite.

Former Chiefs wide receiver J.J. Birden, who lives in the Phoenix area after playing for Kansas City in the 1990s, said Mahomes has made the team better having to spread the ball to other receivers and running backs after the departure of speedy Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins before the season.

Birden caught passes from Joe Montana when Montana played for Kansas City late in his career.

"When you have a quarterback like that you're always fighting for a Super Bowl or championship. It reminds me of the Montanas, the Marinos, the Elways and Bradys, all the great quarterbacks," Birden said. "And I think what's really cool about Patrick is, you see his evolution every year, you see him growing as a quarterback, because that learning curve, it takes years. It doesn't happen the first couple of years. But you can see how he's maturing as a quarterback every year, just the way he commanded the offense and the way he's reading the defense and the way he's making adjustments and the way he is utilizing all his weapons."

Get in touch with Jose Romero at Jose.Romero@gannett.com. Find him on Twitter at @RomeroJoseM. 

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Kansas City Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes hoping for that Super Bowl winning feeling