Patrick Mahomes' heroic performance against the Bills was thrilling to watch, and his in-game heart rate indicates it was equally exciting to live through.
By the numbers: Mahomes wore a Whoop fitness tracker during the game, and the collected data Shines some light on the kind of competitor he is when the lights shine the brightest.
- His peak heart rate (191 beats per minute) came during his first-quarter TD run. But his sustained peak, as you'd expect, came during the 28 minutes of real time between the final two minutes of regulation and the game-winning score.
- The biggest spikes during that hectic half hour were precipitated by game-changing plays, but his heart rate was actually lowest when the pressure was highest — achieving "flow state" in those moments, according to his trainer.
- In other words, aside from his otherworldly talent, one of Mahomes' greatest assets may be the ability to stay calm under pressure.
Of note: Whoop was founded in 2012, released its first product in 2015 and really took off in 2020 when fitness tracking became a high priority. Mahomes is an investor.