KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes had another fantastic game against the Cleveland Browns. He was 23-of-32 for 375 yards, three touchdowns and one interception in Kansas City's 37-21 road victory against the Browns.
For the season, Mahomes currently has 2,901 passing yards, 29 touchdowns and seven interceptions. His quarterback rating is 116.7. He leads the league in passing yards and touchdown passes.
The Chiefs also have the highest scoring average in the NFL at 327 total points. That equates to 36.3 points per game through nine contests. He's also lead the NFL's hottest offense to an 8-1 record in his nine games.
Not many people predicted that Mahomes would have the kind of success that he's had so soon. And, in many NFL circles, he's currently the frontrunner for the NFL's Most Valuable Player award.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid couldn't stop talking about his star quarterback, during the team's weekly press conference, at their practice facility. He talked quite a bit about Mahomes' ability to make big plays. When asked if that energized the team, his initial response was simple.
“It doesn’t hurt," Reid said.
He followed that up with a more descriptive response of Mahomes and Reid's comparison to other great quarterbacks that he's been around.
"These guys, they are accustomed to it, I think. I sit there, I’ve been around a long time, and I sit there and I go, ‘Woah, that was pretty good.’ I’ve been very lucky to be around some good quarterbacks," Reid said. "[That starts] with (Brett) Favre back then, and I played with Jim McMahon and he did all that crazy stuff. Favre did the crazy stuff, the Donovan (McNabb) thing and so on. I’ve seen it. But there is a certain, ‘Wow, that was pretty good right there.’ And he has one or two of those a game. He is blessed that way.”
Here's Mahomes' season, through nine games, in comparison to other quarterbacks in the MVP discussion.
Patrick Mahomes (KC Chiefs) - 210-of-317 (66.2% completion), 2,901 yards (322.3 avg.), 29 TD, 7 INT
Jared Goff (Los Angeles Chargers) - 199-of-293 (67.9%), 2,816 yards (312.9 avg.), 20 TD, 6 INT
Drew Brees (New Orleans Saints) - 213-of-279 (76.3%), 2,336 yards (292 avg.), 18 TD, 1 INT
While Mahomes is having breakout numbers, and having fun with the occasional flexing of his muscles on the field, he's also doing it while being humble about it off the field.
“In the moment, I guess, right? He’s not going to come in here and bark and do all that and flex for you. I think he is into that moment. He loves playing and we all get to see that," Reid said. "At the same time, he is just what you said, he is professional enough to where, when he is off the field, he handles that situation or whatever situation it is. Whether he is with little kids or with you all, he handles it the right way. He has a knack for that.”
