Getty Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes II during Week 11.
After more late-game heroics on Sunday Night Football, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes II became the clear favorite to win the NFL MVP award in 2022.
Former safety and ESPN analyst Louis Riddick even tweeted that “the race is over” as the game ended in another heartbreaking loss for the Los Angeles Chargers.
You can have all of the MVP discussion you want.
The race is over.
Around the NFL community, everyone is back on the Mahomes train heading into Week 12 — although teammate Marquez Valdes-Scantling had another suggestion Monday on November 21.
MVS Supports Travis Kelce for MVP
“Has a tight end ever won MVP?” Valdes-Scantling asked on Twitter the day after the primetime victory. “Because I definitely know a guy.”
Because I definitely know a guy.
“The Kingdom” followed up on the public statement from “MVS,” commenting that the Chiefs “have two MVPs on one team.” And that’s hard to dispute.
Travis Kelce — the player Valdes-Scantling is jokingly crediting — should be in MVP conversations. It’s a QB-driven league, we get that and obviously, no one expects Kelce to win over Mahomes, but his stats are ridiculous for the position that he plays.
The Chiefs superstar playmaker has 855 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns. The yardage ranks sixth in the NFL behind Tyreek Hill, Justin Jefferson, Stefon Diggs, Davante Adams and Jaylen Waddle. The number of receiving scores is first among all pass-catchers.
Compared to his fellow tight ends, it’s not even a debate. Kelce leads Mark Andrews for second in TE yardage by more than 300.
Then, once you consider Kelce’s impact as a blocker, the attention he gets from opposing defenses, and all the massive moments in the clutch — it’s no stretch to call him one of the league’s most valuable players. At the very least, he should be considered for the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year award, which is usually won by skill-position contributors.
NFL Community Bows Down to Patrick Mahomes
Mahomes didn’t have his best game in Week 11 with 14 incompletions against the Chargers, and yet he still threw for 329 yards and another three touchdowns. That yielded a passer rating of 120.8 according to ESPN.
The performance boosted his season-long TD-to-interception ratio to 28 passing scores compared to seven turnovers. That gives Mahomes a QBR of 78.5.
It’s not just the stats that jump out when it comes to the Chiefs superstar signal-caller though, it’s the clutch factor and the situation that he was put in to start the season. Mahomes was stripped of his number-one wide receiver this offseason and given four new wideouts to replace him.
That means four new contributors to build chemistry with in one offseason and there were other newcomers that didn’t make the active roster. Mahomes also has a rookie running back to work with and a troublesome pairing blocking for him at offensive tackle.
Despite all of that, NFL analysts agree that he is now the front-runner for the MVP trophy.
“Patrick [Mahomes] is the MVP until someone totally snatches it away from him or he falls off, and he’s not going to fall off.”
“Patrick [Mahomes] is the MVP until someone totally snatches it away from him or he falls off, and he’s not going to fall off,” voiced Dan Orlovsky on ESPN’s “Get Up” on November 21.
Former NFL quarterback turned analyst Robert Griffin III also threw his hat into the Mahomes for MVP ring. “New MVP front-runner next week,” he proclaimed. “Patrick FREAKING Mahomes.”
As did Hall of Fame tight end, Shannon Sharpe, who stated that “it’s [Mahomes] MVP to lose currently” on Fox Sports One’s “Undisputed,” adding: “He’s just the best QB in football for what he can do.”
Is Patrick Mahomes the clear runaway MVP?
“It’s his MVP to lose currently. He’s just the best QB in football for what he can do.” — @ShannonSharpe
Even Pro Football Focus posed whether Mahomes is the MVP right now on Twitter despite the quarterback’s past comments about the grading site.