"He's the reason I'm here right now": Former Super Bowl champ reveals how Patrick Mahomes caused his career's end (PO)

Patrick Mahomes has disrupted plenty of opponents’ careers during his dominant run with the Kansas City Chiefs. His potential has been apparent from the moment he set foot on an NFL field, but what some might not realize is his role in influencing players’ decisions to retire.

That’s what former NFL wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders said during a Friday appearance on FOX Sports’ “The Facility.” While talking with LeSean McCoy, James Jones and Emmanuel Acho, Sanders talked about what he felt watching Mahomes force overtime and beating the Buffalo Bills in the 2021 AFC divisional round.

“I still remember my family after we scored. My family’s going crazy. I told them to calm down because I’ve been in the division with Pat, you got to play him full four quarters … I told my family It’s not over, because he been through it. Got me in the Super Bowl, AFC West,” Sanders said.
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“We never got him with the Broncos, and then I get the Buffalo 13 seconds. He the real deal… I retired after that game. He’s the reason I’m up here right now.”

That game marked the second — and so far most exciting — installment in the Chiefs-Bills playoff trilogy. They exchanged punches all game long, with neither able to pull away.

After the Bills scored a touchdown from a 19-yard Josh Allen pass to Gabe Davis, the Chiefs started a drive that ended with a 49-yard game-tying kick from Harrison Butker.

In overtime, the Chiefs sealed the 42-36 win with an eight-yard touchdown pass from Patrick Mahomes to Travis Kelce.

NFL changed OT rules after Patrick Mahomes’ heroics against Bills
After the Chiefs won that game, many fans argued it was unfair to the Bills that they weren’t given another chance on offense. That game prompted the league to change the overtime rules, which now allow each team to have one possession to start extra time.

Kansas City’s happiness wouldn’t last long, as the Cincinnati Bengals upset them in the AFC Championship game to advance to the Super Bowl. The Bengals ultimately fell to the Los Angeles Rams in the title game, but their fans took pride in being the last team to eliminate Patrick Mahomes from the postseason.