Less than a month ago, after Patrick Mahomes’s Kansas City team was bested by Joe Burrow’s Cincinnati Bengals, Mahomes congratulated Burrow with a handshake on the field and mentioned casually that the two would see each other again in the postseason.
Mahomes, in his fourth year as Kansas City’s starter, has become the archetype of the dual-threat playmaker that has supplanted the typical pocket passers who once defined the N.F.L.’s quarterback position. Burrow, Cincinnati’s confident second-year quarterback, has ascended as one of the league’s main draws, both with his ability to rifle passes with pinpoint precision, and his entertaining locker room celebrations.