Getty Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes during pregame warmups on October 10, 2021.
There are some things in life that people will never get tired of doing. Kicking your feet up after a long day, spending time with friends and family, and debating which NFL quarterback is the class of the league.
Joe Montana or Dan Marino? Peyton Manning or Tom Brady? Aaron Rodgers or Russell Wilson? Patrick Mahomes or—
The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback has earned that honor the past few seasons, with an MVP award, a Super Bowl title, three Pro Bowl nods and back-to-back Super Bowl appearances. Despite all that, some believe Mahomes may have recently been surpassed.
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Bart Scott: ‘Patrick Mahomes Is the Worst Thing That Happened to the NFL’
On a recent segment of ESPN’s First Take, former All-Pro linebacker Bart Scott was asked if Mahomes is still the best in the NFL and the analyst came prepared with a viral response.
.@BartScott57 no longer believes Patrick Mahomes is the best QB in the NFL 👀
“The best QB in the league is Lamar Jackson.”
The short answer from Scott may have been, “No, I don’t think so,” but he went on to take a few shots at the Chiefs superstar. First off, the analyst voiced that Rodgers was better in 2020, and the veteran did win the MVP so that’s not the boldest of claims, even if you’d rather have Mahomes long-term.
“The pound-for-pound list is fluid,” Scott elaborated, “it doesn’t always stay the same. That’s leased it’s not owned.”
He continued: “[Mahomes] inherited a tremendous team that was in their window, and he has tremendous talent around him. In the league, it’s about marriages, right? It’s about who you go to, who’s your coach, who’s your coordinator, and he got the best offense coordinator, best head coach. And you look at Josh Allen, you think about his relationship with Brian Daboll and building around him and going to get Stefon Diggs. But I think right now for my money the best show and the best quarterback in the league is Lamar Jackson because I say this: Lamar Jackson is more responsible for the productivity than any one of these other quarterbacks. Not only is he their best running back, he’s also the best thrower of the ball and you can look at the skill positions and say Hollywood Brown would not start on any of these other units that we would consider. … So what Lamar Jackson is forced to do is more than what anybody else is asked to do, and he proved on Monday night that he is the best show in town. … He’s doing more with less than any other one of these quarterbacks that we consider pound for pound. … I think it’s Lamar Jackson, then I’ll go with Josh Allen number two.”
Scott even called Mahomes “the Worst Thing That Happened to the NFL, because he’s been getting away with a lot of deadly sins for years: throwing no-look passes, throwing off-platform, and now those things are coming back to roost.”
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Can’t Count out Mahomes
There’s always a lot to unpack after Scott goes on one of his storied rants, but his main point is that Jackson doesn’t have the weapons that Mahomes and the other QBs have. There are some flaws in that argument, however.
Jackson was paired with offensive coordinator Greg Roman, who took a Colin Kaepernick-led offense to the Super Bowl — and almost won it — in 2013. Not only is he a top-notch coach, but he’s probably the perfect situation for a player with the skill set of the Baltimore Ravens quarterback. The 2019 MVP has also been blessed with a stout offensive line thus far in his career, which helps his ability as a runner.
Now, Mahomes definitely has it good too, with Andy Reid, Eric Bieniemy and a plethora of weapons to choose from, but let’s not act like Jackson has nobody. Mark Andrews is a top-five tight end, Hollywood Brown is a former first-round pick (even if Scott doesn’t respect him) and we already mentioned the O-line.
Here’s another fact: Jackson doesn’t have to cover for the worst defense in football on a weekly basis, and neither does Allen, who has the best of both worlds right now with a stacked roster around him. Recency bias may put different names ahead of the Chiefs’ champion, but let’s not forget who wears the crown.