5 reasons Patrick Mahomes could repeat as MVP
The Kansas City Chiefs have to be thrilled. Last year, they traded away Pro Bowl quarterback Alex Smith in order to turn the keys over to Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes, 23, entered his second year with only one start under his belt. The result? Throwing for 5,097 yards, 50 touchdowns, winning the league MVP and leading the Chiefs to their first AFC Championship Game appearance since 1993.
So how does Mahomes somehow reclaim the MVP? Here are five reasons to believe it’s possible:
5. Great weaponsÂ
The Chiefs have the best offensive arsenal in the NFL. At running back, there’s a stable o talent in Damien Williams and Carlos Hyde, along with rookie Darwin Thompson. On the outside, Kansas City has Sammy Watkins, Tyreek Hill and second-round pick, Mecole Hardman. At tight end? Travis Kelce. Factor in a terrific line and the playcalling of head coach Andy Reid, and the Chiefs are loaded.
4. More control at the line
Mahomes rarely was allowed to audible at the line of scrimmage last year, still learning much of the playbook. While he’s only in his third year, Mahomes should be able to check out of and into more plays depending on what he’s seeing from the defense. This isn’t going to be Peyton Manning in Year 15 stuff, but the Chiefs should be able to get into the right play more often.
3. Rules of the game
The NFL Â has never favored the passing game more. Look at the numbers being putting up today compared to quarterbacks even 20 years ago. Somehow, Mahomes threw for 5,097 yards and didn’t win the passing title a year ago (Ben Roethlisberger did). Expecting Mahomes to repeat a 5,000-yard, 50-touchdown performance is asking for historical numbers, but he could very well be in the 4,600-yard, 40-touchdown realm on a championship contender.
2. Reid is calling the shots
No team has a bigger offensive advantage off the jump than the Chiefs. Yes, Mahomes is a huge part of that, but we can’t forget about head coach Andy Reid. Reid is one o the more creative NFL minds in league history, and you can bet he’ll have new wrinkles that confound teams for the first two months of the season. By the time teams start to figure it out, he’ll have new tricks and Mahomes will have massive numbers.
1. Absurd talent level
Mahomes is a great player. Great players always have a chance to be the MVP, especially when they play quarterback in 2019. The Chiefs do have crazy talent and a brilliant head coach. But ultimately, they have the best quarterback in football, and one that should. only be ascending as one of the younger signal-callers in the game.
