Patrick Mahomes is the NFL’s Most Valuable Player, which means he should be the NFL’s Most Valuable Player — simple logic that doesn’t always apply to awards voting. The MVP isn’t just a vote held at the end of the season; it’s a talking point from September, for better or worse, and so it’s treated as a dramatic spectacle instead of an honest assessment of player worth. Mahomes is the best player in the league. He is the most valuable of his team. That really should be all the discussion we need.
It was clear again on Saturday, when the whole league took an ice bath and Mahomes, predictably, performed his usual individual medley of brilliance. He was the main reason the Chiefs built a 17-0 lead over the Seahawks before winning, 24-10. He’s the main reason the Chiefs are now 12-3 and could play their third Super Bowl in four years. Don’t punish him because he’s already done it.
Mahomes sealed the victory over the Seahawks with three daggers. He stepped up under pressure and fired a fastball into the hands of Travis Kelce from 20 yards. He again hit an open Kelce for another 52. A few plays later, on third down, Mahomes rushed to the right and dove towards the end zone, on the kind of play that so often ends with you. thinking The player scored when in fact a knee or elbow made contact with the ground. But because Mahomes’ body control is off the charts, he managed to rest all of his weight on his left hand while his body was horizontal, allowing him to slap the pylon with the ball for a touchdown. It was one of those Mahomes pieces that should really make you think, “Damn, imagine if Peyton Manning ever tried do something like that,” but Mahomes is so casually brilliant that we shrug it off.
Mahomes has made a career out of creating the amazing look routine.
Jay Biggerstaff/USA TODAY Sports
Mahomes is the rightful MVP. Can we use a little common sense here? Statistically, visually, adjusting for context – whichever way you do the math, the answer is Mahomes. When the chiefs traded the most explosive receiver in the leaguetyreekhill, they were betting on Mahomes to make up the difference, and it was an extremely safe house. His first rusher is Isiah Pacheco. His top two wide receivers, Juju Smith-Schuster and Marquez Valdez-Scantling, are household names to fans, but the Steelers and Packers are two of the best-run organizations in the league, and they were willing to let those two guys go. leave without much of a fight.
Let’s not make this more complicated than necessary. Is there anyone outside of Philadelphia or even in. in Philadelphia – who would seriously rather have Jalen Hurts than Mahomes? This is not a hit on Hurts! He was great. “I’d rather have Patrick Mahomes” is not an insult. But come on. Put Mahomes on the Eagles, and they would still have the best season of any team. Put Hurts on the Chiefs, and there would be a drop.
Hurts is the narrative MVP. He is the burning name, the new story. Hurts bringing the Eagles back into title contention is a much more interesting story than Mahomes keeping the Chiefs there. That doesn’t mean Hurts is actually a more valuable player than Mahomes.
Dollar for dollar, Hurts – who is still on his rookie contract – is worth more than Mahomes. But the price is the most valuable player, not the most valuable contract. The contractual difference between the two actually helps explain why Mahomes has been more valuable. Hurts’ low salary gives the Eagles about $40 million more to spend on the rest of the roster. This difference partly explains why the Eagles were able to add an elite receiver (AJ Brown) last spring when the Chiefs decided to trade Hill rather than sign him for an extension. Eagles Executive Howie Roseman skillfully built the most complete team in the NFL around Hurts.
The Bills’ Josh Allen has also been terrific, and you could argue — based on more of the work Hurts has produced — that you’d rather have Allen on your team than Mahomes. But Mahomes has been better this year. Allen has a bigger margin for error and has been a little too eager to take advantage of it at times.
Who else? Tua Tagavailoa is having a wonderful year, validating the belief many of us had in him when he came out of Alabama, but he’s obviously not as good as Mahomes no matter what Hill said during the interview. off-season. Micah Parson is a game wrecker, but he’s not as valuable as Mahomes.
MVP debates are fun, but sometimes they’re so much fun that the argument overwhelms common sense. You see this in all sports. Voters become numb to eternal greatness and bend over backwards to justify voting for anyone other than the best player. Michael Jordan has won five MVP awards and should have won more. LeBron James has won four and should have won more. (Baseball voters used to be the worst at voting for history instead of best player, but they’ve become so stat-conscious that they don’t do so as much anymore.)
Mahomes won an MVP award – in 2018, his first season as a Kansas City starter. He was the freshest story and the best player in the league that year. Now his numbers aren’t as amazing, but he’s probably a better player because he’s learned to manage risk without trying to eliminate it completely. His two interceptions against the Bills this year illustrated that point. Buffalo made great defensive plays, but Mahomes said afterwards he could live with that. There are a lot of great players in the NFL. Mahomes was the best of them, and he should be MVP.
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