Kansas City Chiefs fans are lucky to have Patrick Mahomes taking the snaps at quarterback. While the team had decent quarterbacks before him, Mahomes has given them something they've never had before, which is an MVP-level signal-caller, one capable of leading the team to a Super Bowl and winning it all on the brightest stage.
That's why it isn't going to be looked at as a big deal to fans that Mahomes was ranked second in the latest ESPN quarterback rankings by executives, coaches, and scouts. The player taking the top spot from him was Bills quarterback Josh Allen.
Voters still obviously respect the heck out of Mahomes given what he's been able to accomplish in his career but, when push came to shove, the votes knocked him off his first-place throne.
"But after three consecutive seasons of subpar production (for his standards), Mahomes relinquishes his crown for at least one year, despite leading all QBs in first-place votes. His average rank of 2.19 per ballot was just short of Allen's. More voters than usual kept him out of their top three (about 15%)."
Included in the write-up are quotes from the anonymous people polled. These quotes were hard to ignore.
"I think the hits were taking the toll even before the injury," an NFL coordinator said. "He's not the biggest guy. He's such a stud, but the violent hits he's taken, the big-time shots, are a thing."
"One veteran NFL defensive coach was critical of Mahomes' overall play: "Mahomes struggled even before the injury last year -- held the ball too long and forced throws when it wasn't necessary. Still has a tendency to chase the big play instead of keeping the offense on schedule." But even that coach added, "If they don't have him, they win three games, tops [last year]."
Chiefs fans should be unfazed by Patrick Mahomes losing top QB spot
At the end of the day, Chiefs fans know what Mahomes is capable of. The 2025 season was rough all around from the disappointing six wins to Mahomes' injury to just everything that could go wrong going wrong. It was a tough season for a team accustomed to being in the fight up until the very end.
The good news about having a quarterback of Mahomes' caliber though is that it means every year the Chiefs are a contender. Last year might not have ended the way fans had gotten used to but when the calendar flips to a new season, it means things can revert back to the way they were.
For a guy with three Super Bowl wins and two MVP titles under his belt, a bounce back season feels imminent. Mahomes has the bulletin board material he needs for all of that to happen so I guess we have these execs, coaches, and scouts to thank when he puts on a clinic in 2026.
Add us as a preferred source on Google