Quarterback Patrick Mahomes has won three Super Bowls and two MVPs in eight seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, but is he still clearly the league’s top passer?
In a piece published Tuesday, CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco ranked Mahomes as the league’s No. 1 player. Prisco admitted his numbers have dipped recently but wrote, “[Mahomes] would still be the first player picked in any open draft.”
Others disagree. On a June 12 episode of the “Check The Mic” podcast, The 33rd Team’s Sam Monson said Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills is now the league’s best QB.
From 2018-22, Mahomes threw 30 or more touchdown passes four times. Over the past two seasons, he has failed to hit that mark. He had 27 TD passes in 16 starts during the 2023 season and 26 TD passes in 16 starts last season.
Plus, he logged 3,928 yards passing last season, his lowest figure since his rookie season in 2017.
Not all of the blame falls on the 29-year-old QB. Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce may be nearing the end of his career. Over the past two seasons, the 35-year-old TE has failed to finish with 1,000 receiving yards or more.
A lack of options besides Kelce has compounded Mahomes’ problems. No Chief has had 1,000 receiving yards over the past two seasons.
However, it’s apparent defensive coordinators are figuring out how to stop Mahomes. They’re likely playing more two-high coverages — where split safeties cover the deep part of the field — against the QB. This takes away his deep ball and forces him to hold the ball.
One DC who frequently uses this coverage is Vic Fangio of the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles, of course, beat the Chiefs 40-22 in Super Bowl LIX. Per Pro Football Focus, Mahomes averaged 3.24 seconds to throw against the Eagles, his highest mark last postseason.
Mahomes is a future Hall of Famer, but he has areas of his game where he can improve. He must address them, or other elite QBs, like Allen, Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals and Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens, could keep closing the gap in the best QB debate.
