Patrick Mahomes can make NFL history by winning AFC title game against Bengals

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes could set yet another record before the year is done. With a win over the Cincinnati Bengals, the Kansas City Chiefs would be in the Super Bowl.

This is obvious to 99 percent of viewers. However, if Mahomes wins the game on Sunday, he will be the youngest quarterback to play in three Super Bowls.

According to Pro Football Talk, Tom Brady is the current record holder as the youngest quarterback to start in three Super Bowls. If number 15 starts in Super Bowl 56, he will be 26 and 149 days old, placing him at a younger age than Brady.

Of course, while Mahomes gets a lot of credit for this, plenty of factors allowed him to get to this point.

What has helped Patrick Mahomes reach the Super Bowl twice in the last three years?

AFC Wild Card Playoffs - Pittsburgh Steelers v Kansas City Chiefs

The quarterback sat out almost his entire rookie season, which gave him a massive leg up in many quarterback situations. Often, in today's game, the quarterback is expected to start on day one.

There is no time to soak in the subtleties of the game or to learn from a mentor. As such, the quarterback is essentially thrown into the middle of the ocean and is asked to find land.

The Chiefs' quarterback avoided this pitfall. He had Alex Smith, a playoff-caliber quarterback, to learn from. In addition, his coach is Andy Reid, who is one of the best offensive playcallers in NFL history.

Throw in a top-tier offensive roster with Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce, Mecole Hardman, a solid offensive line, and a defense that plays big in big spots, and that is a recipe for success.

Without a quarterback to act as the engine, it doesn't matter if the tires are top notch and the car has an aerodynamic design. If there's no engine, it isn't going anywhere.

The quarterback has proven to be as good of an engine as one can hope for in his relatively brief time in the NFL.

Many have called 2021 the quarterback's "down" year, but his stats are only a step behind last year's and are better than two years ago. In his career, Mahomes has only had one starting season in which he threw for less than 30 touchdowns.

In his first season as a starter, Mahomes challenged Peyton Manning's record for touchdowns in a season, throwing for 50 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

While the quarterback has had a lot of uncontrollable factors go his way thus far, he's shown up big in key spots, which proves that he has the special spark required to win the big games required to make it to the point where he is already beginning to challenge Tom Brady's career accomplishments.