Patrick Mahomes leads NFL in big passing plays

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is leading the NFL in big passing plays, which deserves more discussion, especially from the doubters.

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has had quite the season so far. Mahomes leads the NFL in passing yards and touchdown passes thrown in the 2022 NFL season. But Mahomes also leads the NFL in another category that is not getting talked about much: big play passes.

Mahomes currently leads the NFL in completions that have gone for 25 yards or more, having completed 28 of them. Tied for second place with 23 are Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills and Russell Wilson of the Denver Broncos. There’s a significant gap between Mahomes and the two quarterbacks tied for second.

Here’s the best part: in addition to leading the NFL in passing yards and touchdowns, Mahomes is leading the NFL in big passing plays with nearly an entirely new group of wide receivers. After losing wide receivers Tyreek Hill, Demarcus Robinson, Byron Pringle, and Gehrig Dieter, the Chiefs brought in JuJu Smith-Schuster, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Justin Watson, and Skyy Moore in the offseason. Plus, the Chiefs traded with the New York Giants for Kadarius Toney.

Mahomes has completed a pass to 13 different pass-catchers this season. Mahomes has connected with 10 of them in the end zone and has completed a pass of 25 yards or more with nine of them.

There were a lot of people who questioned Mahomes and what kind of season he’d have without Hill and whether he could get the passing game going. Some were uncertain if the Chiefs could get a lot of big plays without Hill.

Yes, Hill is great and Chiefs fans were sad to see him get traded, but Mahomes has proven once again that he can win and have success with just about anyone. Perhaps this is a huge reason why Mahomes is the current runaway favorite to win MVP this season—and rightfully so.