Chiefs vs. Jets: Sorting out the winners and losers from Week 8
By Matt Conner
Winner: Mahomes’ momentum for MVP
Early in the season, Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks seemed to be mounting the best case for this year’s MVP award. Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills was also in the mix, as was Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers. As the weeks went on, however, a few new names started to enter the mix as others faded a bit. Tom Brady of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers became a contender near midseason, as did Kyler Murray of the Arizona Cardinals. The same can be said of Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry or Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson.
At this point, however, no one can discuss the NFL’s MVP watch without also including Patrick Mahomes squarely in the middle of such talks. With a five-touchdown performance against the Jets, one that featured no turnovers and 416 passing yards, Mahomes now has an incredible 21 to 1 ratio of touchdown passes to interceptions on the year through eight games—with a relatively easy back 9, so to speak, to come.
This week, Mahomes had a 144.4 passer rating and was benched for much of the fourth quarter given the Jets’ inability to keep things close. In short, Mahomes could have had even better numbers than he did, but Andy Reid had no reason to run up the score any more than he already did. With upcoming games against the Falcons, Raiders, Panthers, Saints, and Broncos, there are plenty more opportunities to stretch opposing secondaries down the stretch.