The Best Quarterbacking Performances in Chiefs History

From the first Chiefs game ever in 1963 to Super Bowl LIV, this multi-part series explores the greatest individual single-game performances in the history of the Kansas City Chiefs.

In Part I of Game Balls, we explore the greatest quarterback performances in Chiefs' history. We'll of course see Len Dawson, the Hall of Fame quarterback who started the very first game in Chiefs history, and Patrick Mahomes, the future Hall of Fame quarterback who just won the team's first Super Bowl in 50 years. In between, while the Chiefs wandered the wilderness in search of a franchise QB, a succession of journeymen managed to put together some memorable games.

PATRICK MAHOMES

September 16, 2018

Chiefs 42, Steelers 37

23-28 (82.1% comp), 326 yards, 6 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, 154.8 QB rating

In just his third NFL game, Patrick Mahomes delivered one of the finest quarterback performances in franchise history. In Pittsburgh, where the Chiefs had not won since 1986 — nearly a decade before Mahomes was born — Mahomes became just the fourth quarterback in NFL history to complete over 80% of his passes and throw six touchdowns in a single game (The others: Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger). No quarterback had ever had a six-touchdown game so early in his career. The previous record for the fastest six-TD game was held by Nick Foles, who threw for seven touchdowns in his 13th game. Mahomes threw for six in his third game ever, and for good measure, threw for six more against the Rams in his 11th game, breaking Foles’ record twice. The all-time record for most six-TD games, by the way, is three, currently held by Manning, so Mahomes’ next six-TD game will tie yet another NFL record. While Mahomes barely missed a perfect passer rating (158.3, for some reason), this game stands as the best single-game passer rating of his young career ... for now.

TRENT GREEN

December 14, 2003

Chiefs 45, Lions 17

20-25 (80% comp), 341 yards, 3 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, 158.3 QB rating

Dick Vermeil’s 2003 Chiefs were a sight to behold. Behind one of the greatest offensive lines in NFL history, the Chiefs lined up running backs Priest Holmes and Larry Johnson. On either side were Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez and an underrated group of receivers lead by Eddie Kennison. And under center was Trent Green, who was once tapped to lead Vermeil’s Greatest Show on Turf in St. Louis before suffering a devastating knee injury. Green had lost his job when former grocery clerk Kurt Warner lit the NFL on fire in his stead. In Week 15 of the 2003 season, Green had arguably his finest game as a Chief, producing just the second perfect passer rating in Chiefs’ history. (More on the first in a moment.) The 45-17 rout left the Chiefs with a 12-2 record and their fans with dreams of a championship. It wasn’t to be, but Green’s performance will be remembered as one of the finest in franchise history.

LEN DAWSON

September 7, 1963

Chiefs 59, Broncos 7

12-15 (80% comp), 278 yards, 4 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, 158.3 QB rating

On a Saturday in 1963 in Denver, Colorado, the Kansas City Chiefs — formerly the Dallas Texans — played their first regular-season game. Officially donning the red and white arrowhead helmet for the first time, quarterback Len Dawson must have known he was making history when he stepped onto the field at Bears Stadium that day. But when he walked off the field after throwing for 278 yards and four touchdowns on just 15 pass attempts, he could not have known that he had just set an American Football League (AFL) record for single-game passer rating with a perfect 158.3 — because passer rating hadn’t been invented yet. The esoteric formula wasn’t officially adopted by the NFL until 1973, 10 years after Dawson’s virtuoso performance against the Broncos. But the NFL’s statisticians were later able to calculate single-game passer rating back to the 1950 season, and in so doing, revealed Dawson’s record. Dawson was the first quarterback in AFL history to post a perfect passer rating in a game, and only the second quarterback in pro football history to do so (Otto Graham was the first, for the NFL’s Cleveland Browns, in 1954). In the AFL’s ten seasons as an independent league, before merging into the NFL in 1970, Dawson was the league-leader in completion percentage seven times, in touchdown passes four times, and in passer rating six times — and all this despite not joining the AFL until after its second season. Thanks to Lenny’s perfection, the Kansas City Chiefs opened their history 1-0.

Honorable Mentions:

ALEX SMITH

December 15, 2013

Chiefs 56, Raiders 31

17-20 (85% comp), 287 yards, 5 TD, 0 INT, 158.3 QB rating

Smith's finest statistical performance as a Chief garners only an honorable mention. Why? Because you'll be seeing this game again when we look at greatest running back performances in Chiefs history. Smith was excellent, but Jamaal Charles did most of the work, taking screen pass after screen pass to the house.

LEN DAWSON

November 1, 1964

Chiefs 49, Broncos 39

23-38 (60.5% comp), 435 yards, 6 TD, 0 INT, 106.9 QB rating

This was, at the time, just the third game in NFL history where a quarterback threw six or more touchdowns in a single game while passing for more than 400 yards (George Blanda and Y.A. Tittle accomplished this feat in 1961 and 1962, respectively). This was not the most efficient game of Len Dawson’s Hall of Fame career (see above), but if fantasy football had existed in 1964, Lenny the Cool would’ve been a week-winner for you. 

JOE MONTANA

September 5, 1993

Chiefs 27, Buccaneers 3

14-21 (66.7% comp), 246 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT, 146.0 QB rating

In Joe Cool's first start since January 20, 1991 — more than two-and-a-half years earlier — the 37-year-old was in rare form, posting the fifth-best single-game passer rating of his Hall of Fame career in a 27-3 pasting of Tampa Bay. Other Chiefs quarterbacks have occasionally done more in the box score, but Montana's performance must be mentioned for what it gave a generation of fans: hope. 

For More Kansas City Chiefs Game Balls: Click here for Part I: Greatest QB Performances. Click here for Part II: Greatest Receiving Performances. Click here for Part III: Greatest Running Back Performances. Click here for Part IV: Greatest Defensive Performances.