SANTA CLARA — His name is Patrick Mahomes, he’s the hottest young quarterback in the NFL and the 49ers could have drafted him. They didn’t. Now, they have to face him Sunday, and they’re six-and-a-half-point underdogs.
Mahomes, the quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs, started only one game last season as a rookie. This season, through two games, he has thrown 10 touchdown passes, zero interceptions and his quarterback rating is 143.3. Nearly perfect. Perfect is 158.3.
Mahomes comes from a gimmick, college offense at Texas Tech — lots of quick, short passes that often don’t translate to success in the NFL.