Patrick Mahomes wins AFC Offensive Player of the Week

Patrick Mahomes has been named the AFC’s Offensive Player of the Week for Week 3.

The Kansas City Chiefs wiped the floor in Week 3 with the Baltimore Ravens in primetime on Monday Night Football, so it’s not a surprise that the man responsible for so much of the team’s performance was honored by the NFL in the ensuing days.

On Wednesday, the NFL announced that Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was the Offensive Player of the Week in the AFC after putting up an MVP-like performance featuring five total touchdowns. Against the Ravens’ celebrated defense, Mahomes completed 31 of 42 passes for 385 yards and 4 touchdowns. He ran 4 times for another 26 yards on the ground and a rushing score—his first of the season.

What was amazing about Mahomes performance is how many other throws were negated by drops or penalties. In a game pitting one former MVP against another (Lamar Jackson), it was Mahomes who stood head and shoulders above the competition, able to pick apart a defense that had previously led the league—albeit through only two games—in nearly every meaningful metric.

This is not a surprise to any Chiefs fan, of course, but it goes to show how much better he can continue to get as Mahomes earns more experience both against opposing defenses and within Andy Reid‘s offensive system. The Chiefs are going to receive each team’s best efforts week after week, and Mahomes is going to learn a ton in this process of “running it back.”

On the year so far, Mahomes has completed 67.8 percent of his passes to go with 898 passing yards and 9 touchdowns against zero interceptions.