Jalen Hurts, Josh Allen, Deshaun Watson, Justin Fields.

Patrick Mahomes has more rushing yards then each of those athletic quarterbacks.

That’s right. The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback known for his prodigious arm talent is winning games with his legs.

Mahomes has the second most rushing yards by any NFL quarterback in 2023.Only the Baltimore Ravens’ Lamar Jackson and the New York Giants’ Daniel Jones have more rushing yards than Mahomes’ 154.

“I’m faster than people think,” Mahomes said. “I don’t run pretty. So people think I’m slow, but I move a little bit better than people think.”

On his 23 rushing attempts, Mahomes is averaging an impressive 6.7 yards per carry. That’s almost a full yard better than his best rushing average of 5.9, which he set last year.

He’s also on pace to shatter career highs in attempts (98) and yardage (655). Those projected totals would represent 32 more rushes and 274 more yards than ever before.

That’s in part because Mahomes is deceptively quick.

If NFL quarterbacks lined up on a track, Mahomes would not be anyone’s choice in a race. But what he lacks in straight-line speed he makes up for with elusiveness.

His 4.8 speed in the 40 was just the sixth fastest among quarterbacks timed at the 2017 NFL Combine, but he recorded the best 20-yard shuttle time (4.08 seconds) of any quarterback there.

That drill demonstrates his short-area quickness, lateral movement skills and ability to change direction.

In that shuttle drill, a player runs to the right to a white line, which is five yards away and marked off by a cone, and touches that line with his right hand. He then sprints 10 yards to the left and touches that line with his left hand and then finally sprints back to the starting point, which is five yards away.

Mahomes’ latest display of his elusive running ability occurred during the Chiefs’ 23-20 victory against the New York Jets.

With 6:21 left in the game, the Chiefs faced a 3rd and 23. The Jets focused on tight end Travis Kelce, who took three defenders with him, opening up the middle of the field for Mahomes’ 25-yard jaunt.

“It was a big first down,” Mahomes said. “We just needed that play at that time.”

Mahomes’ next and final run came on the same 15-play, 7:24 drive. On 3rd and 8 with two minutes left, he ran for nine yards and intentionally slid down inbounds rather than score the walk-in touchdown. That allowed the Chiefs to run out the clock by kneeling on the last two plays of the game.

Although those plays showed both Mahomes’ savvy and athletic ability, he might be running more than he should, considering his value.

As part of a recent extension to his landmark, $450 million contract, he is slated to earn $210.6 million between 2023 and 2026 — the most money in NFL history over a four-season span — and his compensation for those years is guaranteed.

Running potentially puts the Chiefs’ most valuable asset — and someone who already hurt the same ankle he injured in last year’s playoffs — at more risk of absorbing punishment. (In the quarterback pocket, defenders can’t hit him high or below the knees.)

Mahomes’ penchant for taking off this year also signifies the difficulty he’s had getting in sync with his young receiving corps. Among the wide receivers, only Justin Watson has more receiving yards (163) than Mahomes does rushing yards.

But while he tries to hone his connection with his receivers, Mahomes knows his running ability is yet another weapon he can deploy.

His 51 rushing yards on Sunday gave him 1,701 for his career to surpass Alex Smith’s franchise quarterback record of 1,672.

More than setting team records, Mahomes joked that he wants to run so effectively that defenses have to dedicate a player to defend him like they often do with Jackson or Allen.

“Maybe one day I’ll get a spy,” he said. “That’s my goal. If I can get a spy, I’ll know I made it.”