Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs‘ golden boy, finds himself in unfamiliar territory. The quarterback who’s made a career of threading needles on the field now finds himself threading the needle between superstar status and statistical reality.
This time the harsh reality was reiterated by NFL Network’s Bucky Brooks, who dropped a bombshell that’s reverberating through the football world.
“I feel like we’re doing a lot of gymnastics to protect number 15’s feelings,” Brooks said on SPEAK today, analyzing Mahomes’ No. 4 ranking on the NFL Top 100 list. “It’s okay if you’re not number one all the time.” This isn’t just another hot take. Brooks backed up his stance with solid facts. “He didn’t play like the best player in football the entire season. At one point Pat Mahomes had 50 touchdowns and won an MVP. He had 27 touchdown passes last year,” he pointed out.
It’s a stark reminder that even the mightiest can have an off year. Mahomes, who led the Kansas City Chiefs to their third Super Bowl win in five years, threw for 4,183 yards and 27 touchdowns in the 2023 regular season. These numbers, while impressive, were actually the second-lowest of his career as a starter. He also tossed a career-high 14 interceptions.
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LeSean McCoy, former Chiefs running back, also added fuel to the fire. “If you had to ask me who was the best player in this league, it’s Patrick Mahomes. We all know that,” McCoy said. “But this list is more of okay, what happened last year, right?” For McCoy, Tyreek Hill just suited the No.1 berth, especially with his nearly 2000 yards in receiving. The discussion inclined toward the notion that Mahomes during the reason is different from the Mahomes during the playoffs.
And that could have been the deciding factor to book the No.1 spot for ‘the Cheetah.’ This debate has set social media on a roar. FOX Sports’ Nick Wright stated that Mahomes should have easily claimed the top spot. Jason McIntyre didn’t hold back his words and suggested fans should “officially stop paying attention to this” annual list. But, those who have supported the ranking, have gravitated toward the 2023 regular season as the root cause behind the list.
Does Mahomes’ last season justify a lower ranking?
The debate surrounding Mahomes’ NFL top 100 ranking brings up a crucial question: How much importance should we give to regular season stats versus playoff performance?
In 18 playoff starts, Mahomes has thrown for 5,135 yards, 41 touchdowns, and only 8 interceptions. That’s a whopping 105.8 passer rating. Talk about turning it on when it counts.
