Patrick Mahomes Solidifying MVP Case

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We are now getting into the most exciting part of the NFL regular season. On one hand, top contenders are beginning to separate themselves, including the Kansas City Chiefs. Fans of other squads are looking ahead to the upcoming offseason, whether it be for possible coaching changes or moves in free agency and the NFL Draft. There are plenty of fascinating teams that sit in the “muddy middle” of the league, however. Once the holidays get closer, the chaos ensues and margins for error become razor thin.

Basically, things are extremely tight and plenty of football is still to be played. Yet, there is one item that appears to be more clear as we get deeper into November. That involves Patrick Mahomes and the case for the 2022 NFL MVP award. Despite some challenging weeks, the Chiefs quarterback is playing as good as any passer right now. To boot, we have also seen some early contenders for the MVP award begin to fall off, accordingly.

Which areas may Patrick Mahomes be separating himself in this MVP race? Plus, how could certain narratives help Kansas City’s signal caller down the stretch? We will dive into those topics, as well as look at the true contenders for the NFL MVP award. Let’s kick it off.

Efficiency Is Key

While there have still been a few blips on his overall body of work, Patrick Mahomes has been incredibly efficient as of late. There are items where he is simply at an impeccable level of play. For instance, his ball placement and success on intermediate to deep passes is among the best we have seen from Mahomes in his career. He rates as above average in throws that are beyond 10 yards of the line of scrimmage to all areas of the field. If there is any area where he could improve slightly, it is in the middle of the field between 10 and 20 yards beyond the line of scrimmage, according to Next Gen Stats.

You could argue that Mahomes and the Chiefs are still lacking in some moments in the short and quick passing game. Nonetheless, Kansas City’s passer is seemingly winning to all areas of the field. Mahomes is also quite balanced with his current passing attack, so to speak. He is much improved on taking what the defense is giving him underneath, compared to recent seasons. Furthermore, Mahomes’ mix of accuracy, timing and touch on deeper passes continues to frustrate opposing defenses, no matter how good the coverage appears to be.

You can also point to stats that seem to drive winning NFL MVP cases. Simply put, Patrick Mahomes is on pace to finish with a passing yards and passing touchdowns total that is even or just ahead of his 2018 levels, where he won his only NFL MVP so far. His completion percentage continues to be on similar levels to what he achieved in the last few seasons as well.

Offseason Narratives Beginning To Grow Foolish

Once the Tyreek Hill trade occurred, most believed that Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs would struggle mightily offensively. Certainly, there were early growing pains for Mahomes and his new cast of wide receivers. The quarterback did not seem comfortable testing defenses deep early on, similar to early last season. Other wide receivers have seen ups and downs, when it comes to their production.

But, the Chiefs seem to have found a fair amount of consistency and proper roles for those pass catchers in recent weeks. Mahomes is arguably operating with more substance and versatility now, compared to when he had Hill on his side. Obviously, Hill is still having an all-time campaign, in his own right. Kansas City is just much more challenging to defend without him, nevertheless.

As a result, Patrick Mahomes is more confident and comfortable than he has ever been. This shows up with how he is reading defenses. This shows up with his awareness in the pocket. Additionally, this shows up when Mahomes is working through his progressions, rather than having to stick to his top two reads, like he did previously. This was also a year in which the Chiefs treated things as a reset and as an adjustment offensively.

Despite those factors, Mahomes is playing at or near a career-best level. Other quarterbacks that have some of the league’s best weapons are beginning to struggle and fall off in the MVP race. Namely, Josh Allen and Jalen Hurts have seemingly lost a step to Patrick Mahomes and possibly others, as we enter the second half of the season.

Other Contenders To Watch For

Because of the NFL MVP being such a narrative-driven award, it is always difficult for non-quarterbacks to win it. The aforementioned Hill is having one of the best seasons for a wide receiver in recent memory. Though, it could be challenging to top Cooper Kupp‘s season from a year ago. Other wide receivers are not too far behind Hill, in terms of production, either.

Ironically, seeing Hill dominate as much as he has could continue to boost the voting narrative in the favor of Patrick Mahomes. We did not know how consistent things would be for someone like JuJu Smith-Schuster. Overall, Smith-Schuster has largely exceeded expectations and grown into a true WR1 for the Kansas City passing attack. If the season ended right now, Mahomes appears to be the favorite for the NFL MVP award.

Even with the items listed above, Mahomes still has some worthy contenders to battle with in the MVP race. Hill’s new quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, has played some of the most proficient football of his professional career. He has silenced doubters, has the Miami Dolphins atop a tight AFC East division and has bounced back in a major way after suffering a devasting injury earlier this season.

We mentioned Allen and Hurts already. They have struggled lately. Is it fair to keep them in the NFL MVP conversation, though? Maybe. Other passers like Kirk Cousins, Lamar Jackson or Tom Brady should not be counted out yet, too, in a quarterback-driven award. They could definitely have strong finishes. But right now, it appears to be Patrick Mahomes who is leading the way.

Be on the lookout for more FPC Chiefs articles and analysis throughout this week. For more great sports and NFL content, stay tuned to Full Press Coverage.

– Braden Holecek is the Kansas City Chiefs managing editor for Full Press Coverage. He covers the NFL. Like and follow on Follow @ebearcat9//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Follow @FPC_Chiefs//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js and Facebook.