Quarterback Patrick Mahomes for the Kansas City Chiefs set the NFL world ablaze in 2018, doing things never seen before at his position, which should make Mahomes a lock for league MVP.
When you look at Mahomes’ statistics on the year, the choice is a no-brainer. The 23-year-old threw for 5,097 yards and 50 touchdowns, with an impressive 113.8 passer rating. Yet his critics had cited losses in so-called big games as a reason his adversary, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, should be named MVP.
This argument was quashed when Mahomes dazzled in both of his playoff starts, coming one play short of a Super Bowl appearance. The only way Brees would still be considered is if the Associated Press gives it as a lifetime achievement award since the 39-year-old has never won in his illustrious career.
Patrick Mahomes a Shoe-In for MVP
Humble Beginnings
Mahomes was selected with the tenth pick of the 2017 draft by the Chiefs and spent the first 15 games on the bench. He was considered a rare talent but needed a little developing to tame his quarterbacking skills. Mahomes landed in the right spot with one of the greatest modern-day offensive innovators in head coach Andy Reid.
His first taste of NFL action was in a Week 17 win over the Denver Broncos, where the Chiefs were resting their starters. The rookie flashed potential and the world got its first glimpse of the young gunslinger.
The Chiefs felt good enough about their heir apparent that they ditched their incumbent starter, Alex Smith, who had just made two straight Pro Bowls, effectively naming Mahomes the starter for 2018.
The Stephen Curry of the NFL
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell made headlines a few years ago for comparing himself to NBA star Stephen Curry, presumably due to Curry revolutionizing the game of basketball with electric offense and three-point shooting. Bell was wrong. Two years later, the NFL version of Curry exploded onto the scene, and his last name is Mahomes.
Mahomes delighted fans with a kind of play we’ve never seen from a quarterback. He is able to make every kind of throw and then some. Perhaps the most impressive is his side-arm throws at odd angles, reminiscent of a shortstop in baseball. He does this with relative ease and can fit the football into windows not many signal callers can make. Mahomes also dazzles with no-look throws and passes that are off-balance. It goes against conventional quarterback mechanics, but he somehow makes plays consistently.
Like Curry, the sports world has never seen a player quite like Mahomes. He makes football incredibly fun to watch and makes you wonder if what you just saw was really possible.
Patrick Mahomes with the NASTY no-look pass ?
?: CBS #BALvsKCpic.twitter.com/SXUabhOfnd
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 9, 2018
Insane Production for First-Year Starter
Mahomes produced like few quarterbacks ever have in 2018. He’s only the third player ever to throw for over 5,000 yards and 50 touchdowns in a season, after future-Hall-of-Fame quarterbacks in Tom Brady in 2007 and Peyton Manning in 2013. What’s more impressive is that he’s done it in his first year as a starter.
He set numerous NFL records, including being the fastest player to 4,000 yards passing and 40-plus touchdown passes, doing so in only 13 games. Mahomes led a high-octane attack that saw the Chiefs score a whopping 565 points. They secured the top seed in the AFC with a 12-4 record.
Mahomes had multiple amazing performances throughout the year and had two games with six touchdown passes. He was named first-team All-Pro and made his first Pro Bowl appearance.
He was also a part of perhaps the biggest offensive output in modern-NFL history. In a Week 11 Monday night showdown, the Chiefs and the Los Angeles Rams scored a whopping 105 total points. The Chiefs lost the game 51-54, but Mahomes went nuts. The young gunslinger threw for a career-high 478 yards and six touchdowns, but he turned the ball over five times.
Playoff Success
The Chiefs had been miserable in the postseason, not winning a home playoff game since 1993. It became apparent that an elite quarterback is what they were missing. Mahomes made all the throws and led the Chiefs to victory over a hot Indianapolis Colts team. The Colts had won 10 of their last 11 games heading into the divisional matchup. Yet they were no match for an efficient Mahomes and a surprisingly stout Chiefs defense.
The Chiefs then held their first-ever AFC Championship game at Arrowhead Stadium the following week. Mahomes was masterful in the second half and finished the game with 295 yards and three touchdown passes. The Chiefs ended up losing to the New England Patriots in a crushing overtime defeat, but it wasn’t due to the lack of quarterback mastery.
Their defense had been their Achilles heel all year long and it finally bit them in their final game. Yet, they finally had something more than a predictable, dink-and-dunk quarterback under center.
Most Valuable to the League
Mahomes was the most valuable player to his team and to the league brand. He kept their offense afloat and producing at an exceptional level after the loss of running back Kareem Hunt. The offense still scored 32 points per game in the seven games without the talented back.
It was clear that the Chiefs became a souped-up version of the Brett Favre-led West Coast offense that was employed by the Green Bay Packers in the 1990’s, where Reid was an assistant. Mahomes mastered the offense and was extremely effective. He didn’t show too much recklessness as many had assumed as he tossed only 12 interceptions. He became an instant sensation in the fantasy football community as well. Mahomes scored an astounding 405 standard fantasy points in 2018, using ESPN’s standard scoring.
He played the position as nobody has seen before. He’s a great athlete and dazzled with contorted throws that ended up as completions. Mahomes is an exceptionally exciting player, and that can only mean good things for the brand of the league. There needed to be a new face of the NFL once Brady retires, and they have found their guy in Mahomes.
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