Patrick Mahomes enters his eighth season with the Chiefs, seeking a historic third consecutive Super Bowl victory on his way to becoming a Kansas City legend.
The opening game of the 2024 season provided yet another chance for the quarterback to write his name into the team's history books. Mahomes came into Thursday's game against Lamar Jackson and the Ravens needing only 84 yards to become the Chiefs' all-time leading passer.
It didn't take very long for the 28-year-old to surpass Len Dawson's record in the season-opening matchup. Mahomes is also within range of passing Dawson for first all-time in passing touchdowns, but he still has 18 scores to go before tying the Hall-of-Famer.
Here's everything to know about the Chiefs all-time passing records, where Mahomes now leads the ranks among Kansas City legends.
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Chiefs all-time passing leaders
Dawson held the Chiefs' all-time passing record since his retirement in May 1976. With 28,507 yards in the air across 13 years as the team's starter, the Kansas City great was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987.
With over 100 passing yards before halftime on Thursday, Mahomes broke Dawson's record in five fewer seasons and just over half as many games.
Naturally, the record-setting pass went to TE Travis Kelce, a top target in Kansas City's offense over Mahomes' career.
The play that made Patrick Mahomes the Chiefs all-time passing leader 🏆 pic.twitter.com/QNdFaRYRyJ
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) September 6, 2024
Here are the top five passing quarterbacks in Chiefs history, with Mahomes and Dawson sitting comfortably at the top.
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| Rank | Player | Timeline | Yards |
| 1 | Patrick Mahomes | 2017-2023 | 28,541 |
| 2 | Len Dawson | 1962-1975 | 28,507 |
| 3 | Trent Green | 2001-2006 | 21,459 |
| 4 | Alex Smith | 2013-2017 | 17,608 |
| 5 | Bill Kenney | 1980-1988 | 17,277 |
Patrick Mahomes stats
Since the Chiefs drafted Mahomes 10th overall in the 2017 NFL Draft, he has steadily improved into one of the best quarterbacks in the league and is continuing to make his case to be considered one of the greatest ever.
He led the league in passing in 2022, the same year he won both NFL and Super Bowl MVP. Additionally, Mahomes already tops the Chiefs record books in completions (2,386), completion percentage (66.5%), and passing yards in a single season with his 5,000-plus-yard performance two years ago.
Here's a look at Mahomes' career passing statistics with Kansas City.
| Year | GS | CMP | ATT | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT |
| 2017 | 1 | 22 | 35 | 62.9 | 284 | 0 | 1 |
| 2018 | 16 | 383 | 580 | 66.0 | 5,097 | 50 | 12 |
| 2019 | 14 | 319 | 484 | 65.9 | 4,031 | 26 | 5 |
| 2020 | 15 | 390 | 588 | 66.3 | 4,740 | 38 | 6 |
| 2021 | 17 | 436 | 658 | 66.3 | 4,839 | 37 | 13 |
| 2022 | 17 | 435 | 648 | 67.1 | 5,250 | 41 | 12 |
| 2023 | 16 | 401 | 597 | 67.2 | 4,183 | 27 | 14 |
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Len Dawson picture, explained
Aside from being widely considered one of the most gifted quarterbacks in the history of the NFL, Dawson is also known for something that would wreak havoc in the league today: smoking a cigarette during a game.
This wasn't just during any game either. It was the sideline of Super Bowl I, where Dawson was representing the Chiefs. The league's inaugural championship game in January 1967 featured a marquee matchup between Kansas City and the Green Bay Packers, during halftime of which "LIFE" magazine photographer Bill Ray captured the quarterback as the picture of tranquility despite being down a touchdown.
Super B-Day to Len Dawson. Frescas and heaters for everyone! pic.twitter.com/mmX8gpIhWM
— Super 70s Sports (@Super70sSports) June 20, 2016
With a cigarette in his mouth and a bottle of Fresca at his feet, Dawson finished his mid-game break and the Packers proceeded to shut out the Chiefs in the second half, winning the title 35-10.
Despite the combination of nicotine and carbonation in his system, the quarterback still managed to complete 16-of-27 passes for 210 yards and one touchdown, only dealing one interception. In fact, he was selected as the Sporting News 1966 AFL All-League player.
