Patrick Mahomes Shatters Chiefs’ All-Time Passing Record on Christmas Day Spectacle Kansas City, MO – December 25, 2024
On a frigid Christmas afternoon at Acrisure Stadium, Patrick Mahomes didn’t just beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 29-10; he rewrote Kansas City Chiefs history in permanent ink. With a 28-yard laser to Justin Watson in the third quarter, the 29-year-old quarterback officially surpassed Hall of Famer Len Dawson to become the franchise’s all-time leading passer, finishing the game with 28,734 career passing yards and counting.
The record-breaking moment came on a 3rd-and-8 with 8:12 remaining in the third quarter. Dropping back against Pittsburgh’s blitz, Mahomes stepped up, scanned left, then rifled a strike across the middle to Watson for a first down. Arrowhead South erupted, even in enemy territory. The scoreboard flashed the milestone, the broadcast crew went silent for a split second out of reverence, and Mahomes simply pointed to the sky; half celebration, half acknowledgment of the giant whose name he had just eclipsed.
Len Dawson’s mark of 28,507 yards stood for 49 years. It survived the AFL-NFL merger, the Montana era, the Trent Green years, and every quarterback who ever wore the red and gold until Mahomes arrived in 2017. Dawson, the cool-headed MVP of Super Bowl IV, held the record longer than most current NFL players have been alive.
Mahomes needed only 106 regular-season games and seven playoff starts to erase it.
“Len Dawson is Kansas City Chiefs football,” Mahomes said post-game, voice hoarse from the cold and emotion. “To pass him on Christmas, in a game we had to have, on the road… it’s hard to put into words. I grew up watching his highlights on the old VHS tapes my dad had. This one’s for him, for Coach Reid, for this organization, and for Chiefs Kingdom.”
The numbers are absurd. Mahomes entered the day needing just 93 yards. He finished with 320 yards and three touchdowns on 28-of-38 passing, despite missing Rashee Rice and dealing with a battered offensive line. In typical Mahomes fashion, he did it while improvising: a no-look flip to Travis Kelce, a 28-yard sidearm dart to Xavier Worthy on the run, and the record-sealing strike to Watson.
By the final whistle, Mahomes had pushed his franchise record to 28,734 yards; 227 more than Dawson and still climbing at a pace that makes future records look fragile. At his current trajectory, 30,000 franchise yards could arrive before his 30th birthday in September 2025.
Head coach Andy Reid, who has now coached both the previous record-holder (Donovan McNabb in Philadelphia) and the new one, struggled to contain a grin. “Len was class personified,” Reid said. “But 15? He’s a different animal. I’ve never seen anyone process and create like that. It’s an honor to watch history every single Sunday.”
For Chiefs Kingdom, the milestone carried extra weight on Christmas Day. Families who normally open presents at halftime instead watched Mahomes unwrap the record in front of a national audience. Social media overflowed with side-by-side photos: Dawson in his red AFL jersey from 1969 next to Mahomes in Arrowhead lights, two eras connected by one franchise.
Dawson’s widow, Linda, released a statement through the team: “Len would have loved this kid’s flair and competitiveness. Records are meant to be broken, and we couldn’t be happier it’s Patrick doing it. Merry Christmas, Chiefs Kingdom.”
As confetti fell (yes, the Chiefs travel with their own confetti cannon for moments like these), Mahomes embraced Kelce, Hunt, and Reid on the sideline. Then he looked into the CBS camera and delivered a simple message: “This is just the beginning.”
With two games left in the regular season and another playoff run looming, the beginning feels terrifying for the rest of the NFL. On Christmas Day 2024, Patrick Mahomes didn’t just break a 49-year-old record; he served notice that every passing mark in Kansas City now has an expiration date, and that date is whenever No. 15 decides it’s time.
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