The Kansas City Chiefs are on the verge of sports history. They’ve already broken several records, but they are only one win away from becoming the first team in NFL history to win three Super Bowls in a row. They wouldn’t be where they are without several things going their way, but the common denominators have been Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Chris Jones.

Given that Mahomes plays the most important position on the gridiron, he usually earns most of the accolades. To be fair, much of it is deserved. His play on the field speaks for itself, but it’s been his toughness that has perhaps been his most underrated asset. Mahomes has frequently played through nagging injuries, particularly to his ankles. But NFL opponents aren’t overly scared of his mobility or athleticism, and it has everything to do with his “dad bod“.

Patrick Mahomes uses the “dad bod” to his advantage

Mahomes has been seen sporting a bit of a belly in every shot of him shirtless. Considering he ran a 4.8 40-yard dash coming out of college, speed and athleticism has never been a strong suit of his game. Yet he always seems to do damage when he takes off on a rush or scrambles outside of the pocket.

Mahomes’ body is deceiving, something that his trainer, Bobby Stroupe, has spoken about at length. Although his body may not show it, Mahomes combines underrated physical traits with intangibles. The Athletic’s Rustin Dodd outlined it in a recent article.

He runs faster on curves than he does in a straight line and is a master at decelerating under control. He excels at what Stroupe calls “forecasting momentum,” or using his vision and depth perception to understand how fast he is moving compared to a defender. His reaction times are off the charts… “I think the problem is you look at him and his body type is not what you would think of,” Stroupe said.

While NFL defenders continue to bulk up and get faster, Mahomes continues to use his same old tricks to win games. If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.