AFC West positional rankings: Patrick Mahomes anchors quarterbacks list
By Grant Tuttle
![KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - DECEMBER 30: Quarterback Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs greets quarterback Derek Carr #4 of the Oakland Raiders after the Chiefs defeated the Raiders 35-3 to win the game at Arrowhead Stadium on December 30, 2018 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - DECEMBER 30: Quarterback Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs greets quarterback Derek Carr #4 of the Oakland Raiders after the Chiefs defeated the Raiders 35-3 to win the game at Arrowhead Stadium on December 30, 2018 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/f81fb01bf00a6f72ff9b19624de87d77f28edc721e126f1dff2c9c0d18826126.jpg)
We kick off our AFC West positional rankings with the Quarterback position. Carr? Herbert? Lock? Where do they rank after Mahomes? We discuss.
Aaron Rodgers has not arrived in Denver despite a massive amount of speculation. So, the quarterback position at the moment in the AFC West looks very similar to last season. Justin Herbert started as the second-string guy which makes him the lone difference to this season’s slate of starters. Patrick Mahomes is the clearcut top quarterback in the division. Where does everyone else fall? We discuss.
The AFC West was not competitive. Despite the tools given to Derek Carr and Drew Lock to compete with the high-flying Chiefs, Mahomes and company owned the division finishing with a divisional record of 4-1 in games that Mahomes played in. The one loss coming from Derek Carr and the Raiders. Here are our AFC West quarterback ratings:
1. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
No surprise here. Patrick Mahomes is among the top quarterbacks of the last decade already in his young career. While Andy Reid schemes for another year with his top tier quarterback, there is no reason to believe that he will take a step back. In fact, there is reason to believe that Mahomes may actually have a better year.
This offseason, the Chiefs invested heavily in the offensive line. On top of big time acquisitions such as Orlando Brown Jr. and Joe Thuney, the Chiefs also drafted center Creed Humphrey. Laurent Duvernay-Tardif is returning to compete against former pro bowl guard Kyle Long for the right guard position. Needless to say, the Chiefs are going to give Mahomes plenty of time to throw to his top receivers Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce.
What makes Mahomes even more dangerous this season is not only the fact that he will have more time to throw, but also that the pressure will be taken off of the passing game. Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Jerick McKinnon are a great one-two punch that will reel off longer runs this year due to better offensive line play. Having to account for Mahomes and a talented rushing attack will be too much for most defenses to deal with.
Last Season:
Passing: 390 completions on 588 attempts, 4740 yards, 38 touchdowns and 6 interceptions.
Rushing: 62 rushes for 328 yards and 2 touchdowns.
2021-2022 prediction: (Remember, there will be 17 games this year)
Passing: 421 completions on 627 attempts, 5268 yards, 47 touchdowns and 3 interceptions.
Rushing: 42 rushes for 301 yards and 1 touchdown.