With the NFL staging its second game in Brazil—this time featuring the Kansas City Chiefs—a new chapter could be written on the international stage as Patrick Mahomes faces the Los Angeles Chargers in São Paulo on Friday night, entering the matchup on the verge of breaking two of the league’s most notable quarterback records.
Mahomes currently has 291 career touchdown passes, split between 245 in the regular season and 46 in the postseason. That total places him just behind Peyton Manning for the most touchdown passes in a player’s first nine seasons. Manning’s record stands at 293, meaning Mahomes needs only two touchdown throws to tie the mark and three to surpass it.
The other record within reach comes with a tighter deadline. Mahomes’ 245 regular-season touchdowns have him tied with Hall of Famer Dan Marino for the most by any player before turning 30. With his 30th birthday on September 17, Mahomes has just two chances—the opener against the Chargers and the Week 2 matchup versus the Philadelphia Eagles—to pass Marino and hold the record outright.
This pursuit adds to the long list of accomplishments in Mahomes’ career. In his twenties, he already collected two NFL MVP awards and three Super Bowl MVPs, achievements unmatched by a quarterback at his age. He also led Kansas City to three Super Bowl titles, cementing the franchise as the standard of excellence in his era.
Mahomes’ rise has redefined the pace at which a quarterback can pile up accolades. He became the fastest player to reach milestones such as 10,000, 25,000, and 30,000 passing yards, and he continues setting new benchmarks that separate him from past greats. Even setbacks, like the loss to the Eagles in Super Bowl LIX, have not slowed his march toward records once thought untouchable.
Friday’s game in Brazil represents far more than just the start of a new season; it’s an opportunity for Mahomes to add another chapter to his historic pace through nine seasons and leave a fresh mark in the record books. With the Chiefs in the international spotlight against a divisional rival, fans around the world will be watching to see if he can seize both milestones before his 30th birthday.
