The quarterback position of the National Football League (NFL) has emerged as the most important player on the field. Some quarterbacks are considered a “generational talent,” meaning they are unique to the position. Usually when judging quarterbacks as to if they rank as one of the greatest of all-time, it’s common to wait until they have a lot of years under their belt, but that is not the case for Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
In just five years as a starter, at age 27, Mahomes has accomplished more than any other quarterback has in league history. He has cemented himself as the best quarterback in the NFL with his ability to extend plays and his insane arm strength. In five seasons, Mahomes has led the Chiefs to five AFC Championship Games, and three Super Bowls, winning two of them. Mahomes is also one of three players to win two Super Bowl MVPs and two regular season MVPs, placing him alongside Tom Brady & Joe Montana.
Despite his young age, Mahomes already threw for 24,241 yards, along with 192 passing touchdowns to just 49 interceptions making his interception percentage only 1.6% (ranks third all-time). He also holds a 66.3 career completion percentage (ranks 10th all-time), and a passer rating of 105.7 (ranks first all-time). Mahomes is one of two quarterbacks to throw for over 5,000 passing yards and 50 passing touchdowns in a single season, the other being Peyton Manning.
Now let’s focus on Mahomes from an analyst’s perspective because it’s not all about the numbers. Mahomes makes the players on the offense better than they are, besides Travis Kelce. The offensive line is not the greatest, along with the wide receiver core. The only positive aspect of the offense, outside of Mahomes and Kelce, is Isaac Pacheco at the running back position. The Chiefs traded star wide receiver Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins in 2022, and Mahomes goes on to have arguably his best season yet, while having a below average wide receiving core.
One criticism towards Mahomes is that his numbers will be higher because the NFL changed the number of games in a season from 16 to 17, which makes it easier for a quarterback like Mahomes to put up better numbers. But remember, the NFL season used to have 14 games in a season, not 16, so does that mean all of Peyton Manning’s and Tom Brady’s records do not count? No, the NFL changes its rules, and players must adapt to those rule changes. NFL fans are witnessing dominance as Mahomes is quickly building a Hall-of-Fame resume and is on pace to break multiple records.
While there are other quarterbacks that are currently playing at a high level, none of them come close to the level of talent that Mahomes possesses.
(“Patrick Mahomes” by All-Pro Reels licensed by CC BY-SA 2.0.)
