CLEVELAND, Ohio — Today we continue cleveland.com’s list of The 40 Most Influential People in Cleveland Sports, our ranking of the people who currently wield the most influence over Cleveland’s sports happiness.
In this series, we are picking the top 40 athletes, front office personnel, owners, and even those who work on the periphery of sports, to see who does the most to shape the happiness of Cleveland sports fans.
The 40 Most Influential: See how we are determining the Top 40 and the full list so far.
Next up, The man who ends Super Bowl dreams before they begin
No. 29. Chiefs Quarterback Patrick Mahomes
Ask Bills quarterback Josh Allen. Call 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan. Shoot, pull Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson aside in the locker room.
They’ll all say the same: The path to a Super Bowl goes through Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes ranks 29th on our list of 40 influential sports figures even though the Browns have only played him twice (0-2, by the way) in his seven seasons as a pro. And the reason, as recent history reminds us, is because Mahomes is a fixed obstacle in the AFC playoff tree.
The three-time Super Bowl champion has never missed AFC Championship weekend in six seasons as a starter. He’s only lost three playoff games total, and he’s thrown more playoff touchdown passes (41) in six postseason appearances than the Browns have thrown during their 16 playoff runs during the Super Bowl Era (35).
Need more proof that Mahomes has Cleveland’s sports happiness by the throat? Ask Allen, who watched Mahomes tie their 2022 Divisional playoff game in 13 seconds. Ask Shanahan, who lost his second Super Bowl against Mahomes last year despite holding a fourth-quarter lead in both. And ask Watson, who took a 24-0 lead against Kansas City during the 2019 playoffs only to lose by 20 points.
If the Browns want a Super Bowl, they need to beat Mahomes. And to this point, even the league’s best quarterbacks and coaches have struggled to do so.
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