He did it again. Down three of his top four options in the passing game, on the road against a strong division rival, Patrick Mahomes proved on Sunday Night Football that he is the clear MVP at this point in the season. Last night’s heroics were just the latest in what has become a series of incredible moments from the former first-round pick. There is still a good amount of football to play, but right now, Patrick Mahomes is easily the best player in football.
Patrick Mahomes Locking Down Another MVP Award
Sunday Night Football
Nobody would have blamed Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs for losing yesterday’s game. After all, the Los Angeles Chargers have loads of talent when healthy, and the team finally had Keenan Allen back on the football field. The Chiefs, meanwhile, entered the contest without Juju Smith-Schuster or Mecole Hardman, and they lost Kadarius Toney early in the contest.
This was going to be a hard contest under the best of circumstances, but the Chargers came to play. Justin Herbert had arguably the best game of the season, completing 23 of his 30 passes for 280 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception while earning an impressive 81.7 QBR. At his best, Herbert is a top-five quarterback in this league, and he played up to his ceiling on Sunday Night Football.
However, despite all this, Mahomes still found a way to pull out a win. With the defense getting shredded and only one reliable weapon in the passing game, Mahomes found a way to complete 20 of his 34 passing attempts for 329 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. He saved his best for last, orchestrating a six-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to take the lead with just 31 seconds left in regulation. Every MVP campaign needs a signature moment, and considering the circumstances, this could be that moment for Mahomes.
This is just an absurd throw by Patrick Mahomespic.twitter.com/dIO2fQi0Kv
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) November 21, 2022
Patrick Mahomes Entire Season
Of course, you need more than one good game to earn the MVP award. After losing superstar wide receiver Tyreek Hill in the offseason, some wondered whether or not Mahomes would regress in 2022. Well, it’s safe to say that didn’t happen, as both players are thriving in their current environments. Mahomes currently ranks second in EPA/play and currently leads the league with 3,265 passing yards and 28 touchdowns to just seven interceptions.
Throughout the season, Mahomes has been at or near the top of just every important metric of quarterback play. The film backs up these assessments, as he’s still making impossible plays on a weekly basis. However, unlike last year, Mahomes is far more consistent this year and is playing like an unstoppable force of nature.
Tua Tagovailoa and Jalen Hurts deserve credit for making the leap and establishing themselves as some of the best young passers in the game. Josh Allen’s highs are just as good as Mahomes, but he lacks the week-to-week consistency to justify the MVP hardware. Put simply, Patrick Mahomes is playing on another level right now, and he keeps this up, he’ll easily take home the second MVP award of his young career.
