Just Give Patrick Mahomes the NFL MVP Already
This weekend, Patrick Mahomes had several firsts.
A first for himself, beating fellow former Texas Tech quarterback turned ex-Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield after going 0-2 against him while at Texas Tech. Mahomes had 375 yards passing, a career high, and three touchdowns against the Browns, leading the Chiefs to a 37-21 win. (For the record, Mayfield had 297 yards and two touchdowns, both less than Mahomes, but that's inconsequential.)
Mahomes threw for his 29th touchdown and 3,185th yard in his career over the weekend -- both the most in league history through 10 games. Adam Schefter adds that nobody has passed for 3,000 yards in their first 10 NFL games. Matt McMullen adds nobody has more than 27 touchdowns through their first 10 NFL games.
So not only is he breaking records, he's upping the ante.
I know it's a brand new game now and the offenses are wide open, so people score more. If that's truly the case though, why isn't everyone lighting up the league?
Andrew Luck has 23 touchdowns and no one else has more than 21. The leader of the most prolific offense outside of the Chiefs? Jared Goff of the Rams; he has 20 touchdowns. Drew Brees has 18. Tom Brady has 17. Mahomes has 29.
Is Mahomes throwing more than everyone else? No. He is eighth in the NFL in pass attempts, and ninth in completions. He does lead the NFL in passing yards. He has the second highest rating, trailing only Drew Brees, who is his biggest competition for the MVP race.
There are only three seasons where a QB has 28 touchdowns at this point in the season. Peyton Manning did it twice, and Tom Brady. All three were record-setting seasons, and came in veteran seasons.
The only knock on Patrick Mahomes so far is his less than ideal number of interceptions. Mahomes and Tom Brady both have seven.
Am I saying they should name the award, "Mahost Valuable Player"? Not yet.
But, I'm just just spitballing here, we might be onto something as far as merchandising goes:
There are seven games left in the 2018 season, and the Chiefs' schedule is about even, with scrubs and contenders, including a game against the Cardinals this Sunday and a pair of games against the Raiders.
I'm not pumping the brakes on the MVP hype train, and you shouldn't either.
Full steam ahead.
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