Getty Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes II against the Denver Broncos.
Year in and year out, Patrick Mahomes II ranks among the best quarterbacks in the NFL.
The Kansas City Chiefs superstar is usually the man to beat in both the MVP and the Super Bowl conversation to start each season and he usually finishes toward the top of both races. And yet, it feels like he gets more criticism than he does praise.
Week 14 is the perfect example. Mahomes led his team to a 27-0 lead (one defensive TD) on the road over one of the top-ranked defenses in football. By the end of the game, he made multiple highlight reel throws that most QBs never even dream of making, and he lengthened his winning streak over a proud Denver Broncos organization to an undefeated 10-straight victories.
But all anyone wanted to talk about afterward were his three interceptions and near-collapse. Just like that, Mahomes has also dropped from the top spot in the MVP race. As the legendary Rodney Dangerfield would say: “Tough crowd.”
Popular sports pundit Kay Adams agrees, and she’s tired of people underrating Mahomes.
Kay Adams Shames NFL Fans for Normalizing Patrick Mahomes
On her flagship daily morning show with FanDuel TV, “Up and Adams,” the host dedicated her underreactions segment to Mahomes — and the December 15 Twitter clip quickly went viral with 62,000 views and counting.
I literally thought I would never say this… we are under reacting to Patrick Mahomes!
“The other thing that we are underreacting to — and I just never thought that I would say this, I literally never thought that I would say this — we are underreacting I think a little bit, to Patrick Mahomes and what he’s doing,” Adams began.
She continued: “I think we have officially normalized what is a superhuman out there doing completely insane things and providing us with completely insane highlights.”
Adams then broke down a couple of Mahomes’ most ridiculous plays from Week 14, starting with the no-look flip that fooled star safety Justin Simmons and just about everybody else on the Broncos defense. The FanDuel host likened the magician of a QB to former NBA star Steve Nash — a point guard known for his ability to distribute the basketball.
“[This play] was unbelievable,” Adams concluded. “To even attempt this in a game is sort of borderline unhinged, like this is insane. We’re five years into the Mahomes experience and the fact that he’s still doing things that we’ve never seen done on a football field is a bit mind-blowing.”
Adams was even more impressed by his final touchdown pass, after the Broncos came back to make it close. “No big deal, full spin [in the pocket], crashes into three defenders… how does he possibly find JuJu [Smith-Schuster] through these three dudes?” She pondered, and it’s hard not to agree.
On the game-winning touchdown, Mahomes’ pocket awareness, escapability, and composure are downright unstoppable. Respect to Adams for going against the grain and giving the Chiefs signal-caller credit for the moments that don’t always show up in the box score.
Final Word From Kay Adams on Patrick Mahomes for MVP
There was a last word and a sort of message from Adams. She stated:
“It is obscene what he’s doing right now, and the level of operation for this quarterback. He’s continuing to do it without guys like Kadarius Toney… Mecole Hardman — he wasn’t on the field — Jerick McKinnon! Jerick McKinnon was KC’s leading wide receiver and [Mahomes] still threw for 352 and three scores.”
She added that “PM15” is leading the league in passing yardage and touchdowns with a “revolving door of weapons.”
“No [Tyreek] Hill, no problem,” Adams finished. “Let’s not normalize what this man is doing… Given the numbers and the circumstances under which said MVP candidate is thriving, he can’t not be your favorite approaching the final month of the season.”