Patrick Mahomes and history books just belong together. The Chiefs quarterback continues to be associated with a lot of first-time occurrences this season, a season that also happens to be his first as a starting NFL quarterback. The latest is that the former Texas Tech star is the first quarterback from the Big 12 Conference ever to win an NFL playoff game. Patrick Mahomes is the 1st Big 12 quarterback to ever win a playoff game — Cody Tapp (@codybtapp) January 13, 2019 The Big 12, formed from the former Big Eight Conference, started competing in the Football Bowl Subdivision in 1996. So a few of the quarterbacks whom people point to, like former Steelers QB Kordell Stewart, were actually a part of the Big Eight before joining the NFL. Via Pro Football Reference, here is the full list of quarterbacks who have been drafted out of the Big 12 since its inception. Other than Mahomes, not one of them has won a playoff game, though plenty have had the opportunity. Now, perhaps people will look at Big 12 quarterbacks under a different lens.<doc-sep>More than any other conference today, the Big 12 is defined by its quarterbacks. Be they Air Raid gunslingers like Baker Mayfield or athletic dual-threats in the vein of Vince Young, the conference has benefited from a rich crop of quarterbacks out of Texas for decades. And yet, there was one barrier no QB from Texas, Oklahoma or any of the Big 12’s other member schools had crossed until Saturday: an NFL playoff win. Texas Tech product Patrick Mahomes changed that with the Kansas City Chiefs’ 31-13 win over the Indianapolis Colts. Patrick Mahomes makes Big 12 history So, this stat of no Big 12 quarterback ever winning an NFL playoff game is true as far as we can tell, but it comes with some notable qualifiers. For starters, we’re only talking about the Big 12 Conference, not its predecessors in the Big 8 or the Southwest Conference. The Big 12 was formed in 1996 when the Big 8 absorbed Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech and Baylor from the Southwest, creating the conference we know today plus and minus a couple schools. There have also been players who played quarterback in the Big 12 that have been on NFL playoff game-winning rosters. Notably, Iowa State grad Seneca Wallace was on a winning Seahawks team during the game that haunts Tony Romo’s darkest nightmares. But counting Wallace and others wouldn’t really honor the spirit of the stat. We’re talking about a player who played quarterback at a Big 12 school and won an NFL playoff game while playing quarterback, and that simply hadn’t happened until Mahomes and Co. triumphed in Kansas City. So that erases a rather embarrassing stat for the conference, but then again, most schools in the conference would probably be more happy if they had the quarterback who won the conference’s first ever College Football Playoff game. Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) celebrates a touchdown with running back Damien Williams (26) during the first half of an NFL divisional football playoff game against the Indianapolis Colts in Kansas City, Mo., Saturday, Jan. 12, 2019. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga) More from Yahoo Sports: • Curry moves into third place on all-time 3-point shooting list • Trump says Clemson will visit White House amid shutdown • Dolphins expected to offer Patriots’ Flores head coaching job • NFL divisional weekend picks against the spread<doc-sep>
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes pulled off a pretty cool accomplishment Saturday night when he defeated the Colts. Mahomes became the first Big 12 quarterback to win an NFL playoff game. Yes, it’s 2019 and the Big 12 finally got an NFL playoff win. (RELATED: Here Were The Best Moments From Wild Card Weekend In The NFL) Granted, the conference has only been around since 1994, but that’s still insane. Patrick Mahomes is the 1st Big 12 quarterback to ever win a playoff game — Cody Tapp (@codybtapp) January 13, 2019 I really don’t understand how that’s possible. The conference has existed for a quarter of a century. Yet, the more I think about it, the more I realize I really struggle when I try to name star QBs from the Big 12. View this post on Instagram How we feeling, #ChiefsKingdom? A post shared by Kansas City Chiefs (@chiefs) on Jan 13, 2019 at 7:35am PST This means he also has the chance to be the first Big 12 quarterback to win a Super Bowl. Given from what I saw during the Chiefs win over the Colts, that offense is cooking right now. It’s downright absurd how quickly Kansas City can get up and down the field. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kansas City Chiefs (@chiefs) on Jan 12, 2019 at 3:30pm PST Mahomes just keeps stacking up records and accomplishments. This dude is going to be a star for a very long time in the league. Follow David Hookstead on Twitter