Despite Losing to Justin Herbert, Patrick Mahomes Surpasses Dan Marino’s Touchdown Record

Patrick Mahomes may have lost the Week 1 showdown to Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers, but he still made NFL history in Sao Paulo, Brazil. With a fourth-quarter touchdown pass to Travis Kelce, the Kansas City Chiefs’ star quarterback became the all-time leader in regular-season passing touchdowns by a player under the age of 30.

Notching his 246th career touchdown pass, Mahomes overtook Hall of Famer Dan Marino, whose mark of 245 stood as the gold standard for over three decades. Marino originally set the record on September 8, 1991, when he connected with Jim Jenson for his 245th touchdown, just a week shy of his 30th birthday.

Entering Friday’s matchup, Mahomes was tied with Marino at 245, needing just one more to take the record outright. The 29-year-old did exactly that, cementing his name in the record books.

It also happened to be the Chiefs’ only passing touchdown of the night, a bright moment in what was otherwise a frustrating offensive performance. Kansas City’s attack looked disjointed for much of the game, plagued by drive-killing penalties, a missed extra point, and a failed two-point conversion.

Outside of Mahomes’ late connection with Kelce and a handful of strong scrambles, the Chiefs showed only fleeting flashes of rhythm, raising early concerns about their offensive cohesion.

Mahomes turns 30 on September 17 and will have just one more game to add to his record of 246 touchdown passes. The Chiefs face their Super Bowl opponents next week and will be hoping for a better showing than yesterday’s.