SI: Patrick Mahomes Is Clearly the NFL’s Most Valuable Player

[Hammock Parties]

https://www.si.com/nfl/2022/12/24/pa...-nfl-mvp-award

Patrick Mahomes is the NFL’s most valuable player, which means he should be the NFL’s Most Valuable Player—straightforward logic that does not always apply to awards voting. The MVP is not just a vote held at the end of the season; it’s a discussion topic starting in September, for better or worse, and so it gets treated like a dramatic show instead of an honest assessment of players’ worths. Mahomes is the league’s best player. He is the most valuable to his team. That should really be all the discussion we need.

This was clear yet again Saturday, when the entire 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 is the main reason the Chiefs are now 12–3 and could play in their third Super Bowl in four years. Don’t punish him because he has done this before.

Mahomes sealed the win over the Seahawks with three daggers. He stepped up under pressure and fired a fastball into Travis Kelce’s hands for 20 yards. He hit an open Kelce again for 52 more. A few plays later, on third down, Mahomes scrambled right and dove for the end zone, on the kind of play that so often ends with you thinking the player has scored when in fact a knee or elbow made contact with the ground. But because Mahomes’s body control is not of this world, he somehow managed to rest all his weight on his left hand while his body was horizontal, allowing him to slap the pylon with the football for a touchdown. It was one of those Mahomes plays that really should make you think, “Good God, imagine if Peyton Manning ever even tried to do something like that,” but Mahomes is so casually brilliant that we just sort of shrug.

Mahomes has made a career of making the incredible look routine.

Mahomes is the rightful MVP. Can we use a little common sense here? Statistically, visually, adjusting for context—however you do the math, the answer is Mahomes. When the Chiefs traded the most explosive receiver in the league, Tyreek Hill, they were betting on Mahomes making up the difference, and it was an extremely safe bet. His leading rusher is Isiah Pacheco. His two best wide receivers, Juju Smith-Schuster and Marquez Valdez-Scantling, are familiar names to fans, but the Steelers and Packers are two of the league’s better-run organizations, and they were willing to let those two guys go without much of a fight.

Let’s not make this more complicated than it needs to be. Is there anybody outside of Philadelphia—or even in Philadelphia—who would seriously rather have Jalen Hurts than Mahomes? This is not a knock on Hurts! He has been great. “I’d rather have Patrick Mahomes” is not an insult. But come on. Put Mahomes on the Eagles, and they would still be having the best season of any team. Put Hurts on the Chiefs, and there would be a dropoff.


Hurts is the Narrative MVP. He is the hot name, the fresh story. Hurts bringing the Eagles back into title contention is a much more interesting story than Mahomes keeping the Chiefs there. This does not mean Hurts is actually a more valuable player than Mahomes.

Dollar for dollar, Hurts—who is still on his rookie deal—is more valuable than Mahomes. But the award is Most Valuable Player, not Most Valuable Contract. The contractual difference between the two of them actually helps explain why Mahomes has been more valuable. Hurts’s low salary gives the Eagles roughly $40 million more to spend on the rest of the roster. This difference is partly why the Eagles were able to add an elite receiver (A.J. Brown) last spring while the Chiefs decided to trade Hill rather than sign him to an extension. Eagles executive Howie Roseman has savvily built the NFL’s most complete team around Hurts.

The Bills’ Josh Allen has also been terrific, and you could make an argument—based on a larger body of work than Hurts has produced—that you would rather have Allen on your team than Mahomes. But Mahomes has been better this year. Allen has a larger margin for error and at times has been a little too eager to take advantage of it.

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 in the offseason. Micah Parson is a game-wrecker, but he is not as valuable as Mahomes.

MVP debates are fun, but sometimes they are so much fun that the argument overwhelms common sense. You see this in every sport. Voters get numb to perennial greatness and bend over backward to justify voting for somebody other than the best player. Michael Jordan 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 the story instead of the best player, but they have become so stat-conscious that they don’t do that nearly as much anymore.)

Mahomes has won one MVP award—in 2018, his first season as Kansas City’s starter. He was the fresh story and the best player in the league that year. Now his numbers are not quite as incredible, but he is probably a better player, because he has learned to manage risk without trying to eliminate it entirely. His two interceptions against the Bills this year illustrated the point. Buffalo made great defensive plays, but Mahomes said afterward he can live with that. There are a lot of great players in the NFL. Mahomes has been the best of them, and he should be MVP.

[JustDíqLix]

Originally Posted by St. Patty's Fire

im starting to think id rather have burrow than allen

This forum and fan base thinks a bit more highly of Burrow than others. I think its because of the Bengals recent success against the Chiefs. It has imprinted a vision in your mind that most other fanbases don’t have of him.

Bills fans used to be scared of Mark Sanchez, because he owned us. But no one else.

Burrow is quite good. But this forum thinks more highly of him than others. It’s a form of negativity bias.

[JustDíqLix]

Mahomes should win it if the award is for the best player in the league (and I think that is what it has turned into).

If it is for the most valuable player (the player that their team would fall apart without them) then the conversation is more open. For example, the Bills are probably 3-12 without Allen. On the flip side, we saw what Philly could do without Hurts (looked like no drop off from Hurts to Minshew).

[MarkDavis'Haircut]

Originally Posted by DRM08

Burrow was carried by his defense in the playoffs last year. Check this out:

https://www.espn.com/nfl/qbr/_/season/2021/seasontype/3

I said the same thing last year.

He had five chances in the Super Bowl to finish the game. Failed to do so.

[MarkDavis'Haircut]

Originally Posted by JustDiqLix

Mahomes should win it if the award is for the best player in the league (and I think that is what it has turned into).

If it is for the most valuable player (the player that their team would fall apart without them) then the conversation is more open. For example, the Bills are probably 3-12 without Allen. On the flip side, we saw what Philly could do without Hurts (looked like no drop off from Hurts to Minshew).

Bills have a top 5 defense.

They aren't falling to 3-12 without Allen.

[Rainbarrel]

Originally Posted by Rainbarrel

...and it turns into a popularity contest. IT IS NOT ABOUT YOU

I'm guilty too. Allen made Baker Mayfield look like the grown-up.

[JustDíqLix]

Originally Posted by Carr4MVP

I said the same thing last year.

He had five chances in the Super Bowl to finish the game. Failed to do so.

Yes. He oscillated between “average” and “bad” in every playoff game they had. Their defense got them to the SB.

[chiefzilla1501]

Originally Posted by JustDiqLix

Mahomes should win it if the award is for the best player in the league (and I think that is what it has turned into).

If it is for the most valuable player (the player that their team would fall apart without them) then the conversation is more open. For example, the Bills are probably 3-12 without Allen. On the flip side, we saw what Philly could do without Hurts (looked like no drop off from Hurts to Minshew).

3-12? The bills have a top defense and really good receivers, on top of good coaching. Most top 15 QBs could win there. I think the standard shouldn’t be if their backup could win. It’s if a halfway decent but not elite starter could win. I think Allen and burrow both have a good enough supporting cast for good starters to take those teams to the playoffs.

[Prison Bitch]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

Every damn game

What a pic

[crispystl]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

I think the NFL MVP vote should be something like...

1. Patrick Mahomes II
2. Travis Kelce
3. Chris Jones
4. Nick Bolton
5. Tie between the other 49 Chiefs.

I'm being as neutral as possible. This is just the way I see it.

I’ve always recognized and admired your objectiveness.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[crispystl]

Originally Posted by mkp785

Allen is a doucebag and a whiney one at that. Burrow is much more likeable.

Yeah I kinda like Burrow’s smug cockiness. If you can back it…then


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Chiefspants]

Originally Posted by DRM08

Burrow was carried by his defense in the playoffs last year. Check this out:

https://www.espn.com/nfl/qbr/_/season/2021/seasontype/3

When he throws a game ending INT against us I’ll breathe easier.

Him leading three come from behind victories against us in two years makes me wary, though.

I am so ready for Patrick to completely crush him.

[DRM08]

Originally Posted by Chiefspants

When he throws a game ending INT against us I’ll breathe easier.

Him leading three come from behind victories against us in two years makes me wary, though.

I am so ready for Patrick to completely crush him.

Burrow was great in the 2 regular season games against KC, but I also think KC's defense was terrible in those 2 games as well. Burrow didn't do anything great in the playoff game. That playoff result was more about Mahomes falling apart in the 2nd half against a pretty solid, underrated Cincy defense.

[Hammock Parties]

Originally Posted by Chiefspants

When he throws a game ending INT against us I’ll breathe easier.

Him leading three come from behind victories against us in two years makes me wary, though.

I am so ready for Patrick to completely crush him.

the chiefs didn't have brandon williams on the field in CIN

if we can shut down their running game that will go a long ways towards making it easier for us to stop burrow

i also think karlaftis is going to pay dividends in the postseason

and still counting on toney and hardman doing their thing

[mkp785]

Originally Posted by chiefzilla1501

Allen’s pretty likeable. Other fans see mahomes as whiny too. All the best QBs whine about calls. Burrow is smug and cocky as shit. But yeah, respect the hell out of his talent and he’s definitely better than Allen at this point.

Originally Posted by JPH83

Nah Burrow has the smuggest face on earth. They're probably both decent dudes but Burrow is getting the Brady treatment now, lucky as hell.

I don't agree. Allen just seems like a rich little prick. Burrow is a little smug, but much less so than Allen imo. I don't thin Mahomes whines at all, if anything he needs to go harder at the refs and really give it to them. Like what Brady does and dress them down publicly and make it embarrassing.

He gets hit way too often after the whistle. He doesn't get enough calls.

[irafreak]

Mahomes used to get a little excited with the refs on calls and pointing at the defense when he knew it was on them but that's just his competive fire coming out. Doubt we ever see him throw a football at a guy while they're both on the ground like a baby.