- The Washington Times - Thursday, January 17, 2019

Patrick Mahomes is having quite the moment. The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback is playing this weekend in the AFC Championship and will likely win this season’s MVP award. 

But his success didn’t come overnight. Mahomes spent the 2017 season learning from quarterback Alex Smith, who is now with the Redskins. 

Yahoo Sports has a new profile on Mahomes and it largely focuses on Smith’s influence on the 23-year-old. 

“Alex was heaven-sent,” LaTroy Hawkins, Mahomes’ godfather, told the publication. “That was a gift from God right there, for Alex to be so open with a rookie that was brought in, pretty much, to take his job. But that also shows how secure Alex is in who he is as a person outside of football.”

The story is worth reading in full, and you should do so. It details Smith’s routines and his process for asking questions in meetings. 

While Smith, recovering from a broken leg, isn’t quoted in the piece, the Redskins quarterback chimed in on Mahomes’ success earlier in the season when the Chiefs were off to a fast start.

Fun to watch, obviously a ton of friends on that team, including Pat, and to see them do what they are doing is crazy,” Smith said in October. “They are on fire right now.”

The Chiefs traded Smith last year in order to free up the starting job for Mahomes. That move paid off as Mahomes threw for 5,097 and 50 touchdowns this season.

Kansas City plays the New England Patriots on Sunday. 

• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.

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