LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Eight years after matching each other blow-for-blow in one of the highest-scoring US college games in history, Patrick Mahomes and Baker Mayfield are poised for
another duel as the Kansas City Chiefs face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in NFL week nine this weekend.

The reigning Super Bowl champion Chiefs host the Bucs at Arrowhead Stadium on Monday as the last unbeaten team in the league, after moving to 7-0 with a hard-fought divisional win over the Las Vegas Raiders last week.

They will be facing a Tampa Bay side whose momentum has stalled in recent weeks with three defeats in their last four games, leaving them with a 4-4 record in the NFC South.

The Chiefs, however, will be wary that for all of Tampa Bay’s recent struggles, the Bucs offence continues to pose a threat, averaging just under 30 points a game this season.

For the Chiefs’ ‘gunslinging’ quarterback Mahomes and Bucs counterpart Mayfield, it is the latest instalment of a good-natured rivalry that stretches back to their college days.

Mahomes and Mayfield combined in a wild college football showdown in 2016 that saw Mayfield’s University of Oklahoma take down Mahomes and Texas Tech University in a clash that finished 66-59 to the Sooners.

Mayfield threw for an incredible seven touchdowns and 545 yards in that victory, while Mahomes, not to be outdone, finished with five touchdowns and 734 passing yards, 85 rushing yards, and two touchdowns.

“We had to score every single drive in the second half to win that game,” Mayfield said. “It was an unbelievable game and unbelievable atmosphere. Just the back and forth is something that I will not forget.”

Mahomes, meanwhile, recalled being told by a teammate during the game, “You have 77 pass attempts right now.”

“I was like, ‘Man, that’s a lot of passes,’ “ said Mahomes who finished with 52 completions from 88 attempts.

Mayfield and Mahomes’ careers have diverged since entering the professional ranks of the National Football League.

Mahomes has gone on to establish himself as one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history, winning three Super Bowls in four appearances, while Mayfield has only reached the postseason twice in seven seasons.

Mayfield was traded by the Cleveland Browns in 2022 after the franchise swooped for Deshaun Watson, and failed to establish himself during stints with Carolina and the Los Angeles Rams before arriving in Tampa Bay in 2023.

The 29-year-old has flourished in Florida and leads the NFL this season with 21 touchdown passes. Mayfield says, though, that the only stat which matters is the wins and losses column.

“I care about wins,” Mayfield said Thursday. “We’ve had success in the pass game but we’re just trying to find ways to win.

“I think there’s a lot of plays that [for which], probably, some of those stats should be better but the one stat that should be better is wins — and that’s what I’m focused on.”