It’s easy to get distracted by the sidearms. You watch Patrick Mahomes and you see the no-look passes, the left-handed heaves, and the way he somehow finds Travis Kelce when three defenders are draped over both of them. But honestly, if you’re only looking at the arm, you’re missing half the story. The really interesting part? It’s the legs.
Pat Mahomes rushing stats tell a story of a guy who isn't a "runner" in the traditional sense, yet he’s arguably the most dangerous scrambler in the history of the postseason.
He doesn't run because he wants to. He runs because he has to, or because the defense was dumb enough to leave a lane open. It’s a surgical kind of rushing. It's not the "I'm going to outrun your entire secondary" style of Lamar Jackson or the "I'll run through your linebacker's chest" style of Josh Allen. It’s more like a "I’m going to jog for exactly 12 yards and slide right before you hit me" vibe.
The Regular Season Reality
Let’s look at the numbers. They don't lie, but they do hide a few things. In the 2025 regular season, Mahomes put up some of his most aggressive rushing numbers yet, finishing with 422 yards on 64 carries. That’s a 6.6-yard average. Think about that for a second. Every time he decided to tuck it and go, he was basically guaranteed a huge chunk of a first down.
He also notched 5 rushing touchdowns this past year, which is a career high for him in the regular season.
Previously, people kind of slept on his ground game. In 2024, he had 307 yards. In 2023, he had 389. He’s remarkably consistent. Since becoming a starter in 2018, he’s basically a lock for 300 to 400 yards a year. It’s his floor.
Here is the breakdown of how those regular season yards have piled up over the years:
- 2018: 272 yards (2 TDs)
- 2019: 218 yards (2 TDs)
- 2020: 308 yards (2 TDs)
- 2021: 381 yards (2 TDs)
- 2022: 358 yards (4 TDs)
- 2023: 389 yards (0 TDs - weird year, right?)
- 2024: 307 yards (2 TDs)
- 2025: 422 yards (5 TDs)
That 2023 season was an anomaly. He had the most carries of his career up to that point (75) but didn't find the end zone once. Then in 2025, he completely flipped the script. It shows you how much his rushing is dictated by the flow of the game rather than a specific "designed" part of the playbook.
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Why the Playoffs Change Everything
If the regular season is where he builds the foundation, the playoffs are where Pat Mahomes rushing stats become legendary. This is where the "Playoff Mahomes" meme actually has statistical backing.
When the stakes go up, Mahomes stops sliding early.
In the Super Bowl specifically, the man is a machine. As of February 2025, Mahomes holds the record for the most career rushing yards by a quarterback in Super Bowl history. After Super Bowl LIX, he reached 197 total rushing yards across his five appearances. He passed Jalen Hurts (who has 142) for that top spot.
Think about the names on that list. Montana. Elway. Young. Mahomes has more Super Bowl rushing yards than all of them.
There’s a specific drive from the 2024 Super Bowl (LVIII) that basically sums up his entire rushing philosophy. In overtime, he went 8-for-8 passing, but he also ripped off 27 rushing yards on that single drive. It’s back-breaking for a defense. You play perfect coverage for four seconds, the windows are shut, and then this guy in a red jersey just lurches forward for a first down. It’s demoralizing.
The Scramble Factor
According to PFF and Next Gen Stats, Mahomes is consistently at the top of the league in "Scramble Yards."
Most of his rushing yards aren't coming from designed QB draws or options. They come from broken plays. In 2024, he averaged about 3.7 scrambles per game, the highest in the league. While other QBs might throw the ball away or take a sack when the pressure gets home, Mahomes finds the "escape hatch."
He’s not the fastest guy on the field. He actually looks a little bit like he’s running on sand sometimes. But his 10-yard split is deceptive, and his vision is elite. He knows exactly where the line to gain is.
Misconceptions About His "Dual Threat" Status
Is Patrick Mahomes a dual-threat quarterback?
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Purists will say no. They reserve that tag for the guys who run 10+ times a game on purpose. But if you ask a defensive coordinator, they’ll tell you he’s the ultimate dual threat because you can't account for him in the run game.
If you put a "spy" on him (a linebacker tasked with just watching the QB), you’re taking a defender out of coverage. Mahomes will then just carve you up through the air. If you don’t spy him, he runs for 15 yards on 3rd and 12. You're basically stuck in a "pick your poison" loop.
His career rushing average is over 5 yards per carry. That’s better than most elite running backs. The difference is volume. He only carries it 4 or 5 times a game, but those carries are high-leverage moments.
Looking Ahead: Can He Keep Running?
Mahomes is 30 now. In NFL years, that’s when the "scramble" window usually starts to close for most guys. But Mahomes doesn't rely on raw speed. He relies on "old man" moves—fakes, hesitations, and knowing when to get down.
Because he isn't taking massive hits (usually), his rushing production hasn't dipped as he’s aged. In fact, 2025 was his most productive year on the ground yet.
What should you look for next? Watch the red zone. The Chiefs have started using him more as a direct threat near the goal line. Those 5 rushing TDs in 2025 weren't accidents. They were a shift in strategy.
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If you're looking at Pat Mahomes rushing stats for fantasy football or just for bragging rights, don't just look at the total yardage. Look at the "First Down %." Usually, about 35-40% of his runs result in a first down. That’s the stat that wins games.
Next Steps for Fans and Analysts:
- Track the Postseason: Watch the carry count in the first half of playoff games; if he has 3+ carries early, he’s likely headed for a 50+ yard rushing day.
- Monitor the Scramble Rate: Check Next Gen Stats for his "Time to Throw" vs. "Scramble Yardage" to see if he's getting more or less mobile against specific defensive schemes.
- Watch the Red Zone: Pay attention to the "pistol" formation in the red zone, as that's where his rushing touchdown ceiling is highest.
The arm might be what gets him into the Hall of Fame on the first ballot, but the legs are what keep the Super Bowl trophies coming back to Kansas City.