Patrick Mahomes’ uncharacteristically bad play lately has caused some to overreact to what they’re seeing. Former NFL linebacker Bart Scott, for example, claimed that he believes Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen are better quarterbacks than Mahomes, which is blasphemy to Chiefs Kingdom.
A fellow co-worker of Scott over at ESPN, Ryan Smith, threw additional shade at Kansas City’s starting quarterback leading up to the team’s Week 6 game against the Washington Football Team. Smith said he’d choose another AFC West quarterback over Mahomes to start his NFL franchise with.
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Smith Chooses Herbert Over Mahomes
Here’s what Smith said when asked on ESPN’s morning show “Get Up!” who he would choose as the quarterback to start his franchise with:
“I’m going to say — and I know everybody’s going to slam me — Justin Herbert. Here’s why; it’s the unknown, it’s the potential, and we love potential. I get that Mahomes is otherworldly, I get that he can do anything. But this kid, this guy right here — we don’t even know how good he can be. It feels like he’s just grasping the surface. He could actually end up being better than Mahomes.”
If @ryansmithtv had to pick one QB to start a franchise with, he’d take Justin Herbert over Patrick Mahomes 👀
Fellow analyst Dominique Foxworth asked if Smith was betting the house on Herbert turning out to be better Mahomes.
“We’re not betting the house,” Smith replied, which was followed up by some banter between Smith and Foxworth.
“I’m not even willing to bet my kid’s dinosaur on that,” Smith said to close out his statement. “I’m just saying that I’m picking [Herbert] to start my franchise with.”
Is Smith Right About Herbert?
During the first 20 games of Herbert’s NFL career, he completed 66.7% of his passes for 5,912 yards, 44 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions, per Pro Football Reference. During his first full season — his rookie season — he was not able to compete in the playoffs due to the Chargers finishing with a 7-9 record and third place in the AFC West.
Mahomes has played in a total of 51 regular-season games, completing 66.4% of his passes or 15,642 yards, 130 touchdowns, and 30 interceptions. He has been named a three-time Pro Bowler, one-time All-Pro, and was the league MVP in 2018, per Pro Football Reference. In eight playoff games, Mahomes has completed 63.5% of his passes for 2,324 yards, 17 touchdowns, and four interceptions. He’s won two conference championships, appeared in two Super Bowls, winning of them, and was named Super Bowl LIV MVP.
The postseason experience is what most notably sticks out in regards to Smith’s statement. Yes, Herbert has looked elite, and in some cases better than Mahomes. However, Herbert has yet to display the same level of play in the playoffs, which is when truly great quarterbacks separate themselves from the pack. Granted, Herbert isn’t the only player on the field for Los Angeles on game day, so he can only control so much of what happens during the season. But it’s a bit premature to say Herbert is a player that would be better suited to start an NFL franchise with than Mahomes, even if the “unknown” is the reasoning for it.
Mahomes has been elite, whether it be in the regular season or playoffs. You know what you’re getting with Mahomes thanks to a large sample size of work, which makes him a better option to start a team with.
Granted, Mahomes has had a rough few games this season, including performances against the Bills and Chargers in which he threw two interceptions in each contest. But c’mon — don’t overreact.
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Analyst Would Start Team With This AFC West QB Over Patrick Mahomes