Chiefs

MVP once more: Patrick Mahomes wins 2nd career award after leading Chiefs to Super Bowl

By Herbie Teope

Updated February 10, 2023 10:58 AM

PHOENIX

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who will lead his team in Super Bowl LVII here Sunday evening, captured the second NFL Most Valuable Player award of his five-year pro career Thursday night.

Mahomes, who garnered 48 of 50 possible votes, was considered an overwhelming favorite to take home the NFL’s most coveted individual award, which was announced during the televised NFL Honors show from Symphony Hall in Phoenix.

The Chiefs’ All-Pro quarterback, now the reigning 2022 NFL MVP, did not attend the event because the Chiefs are preparing to play the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl. But a prerecorded acceptance speech was shown on a big screen at the gala.

In it, Mahomes thanked his wife, Brittany, and two children, Sterling and Bronze.

“This crazy life that we’re living means nothing without you all keeping me balanced and making me appreciate every single day,” Mahomes said. “No matter how I feel coming home, you all bring me joy and make me appreciate the time I get to spend with you all. Thank you for always being there for me through my good times and my bad. Love you all.”

Mahomes then thanked his mother, father and siblings for supporting him and encouraging him to chase his dreams before turning his attention to his team.

“To the Chiefs organization: Clark Hunt, Brett Veach, Andy Reid, the staff and most of all my teammates, I would never be standing here today without you all,” Mahomes said. “Every day, giving everything that we have together to go for the ultimate goal, the Super Bowl ... Let’s continue to go for that dream this weekend.”

In leading the Chiefs to their third Super Bowl in four years, Mahomes threw for a career-best 5,250 yards during the regular season, completing a career-high 67.1% of his passes. He connected for a league-high 41 touchdowns, second in his career to only his previous MVP season in 2018, when he passed for 50.

He also led the league in first-down passes (272) and completions of 20 or more yards (73) this season, and rushed for 358 yards and a career-high four TDs on 61 carries. For good measure, Mahomes also recorded his first NFL reception — essentially a pass to himself when it deflected off a defender — turning it into a 6-yard gain in Week 17.

A large poster of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes hung near the red carpet at Symphony Hall in Phoenix at Thursday night’s NFL Honors award show. Kirby Lee USA TODAY Sports

Mahomes finished the regular season with a league record for offensive yards by a quarterback: 5,250 passing, 358 rushing and 6 receiving, for a total of 5,614. Former New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees previously held the record with 5,562 total yards in 2011.

The Chiefs’ star quarterback did all of this during a season in which it would’ve been reasonable to expect a dip in his production. The Chiefs retooled their wide receiver corps after trading star wideout Tyreek Hill to Miami and electing to not bring back lesser-used but still valuable Byron Pringle and Demarcus Robinson.

Tavia Hunt, from left, embraces Liberty’s Amy Patel, as Clark Hunt, Chiefs chairman and CEO, greets Patel’s husband, Joseph Rathermel before Thursday night’s NFL Honors show in Phoenix. Patel and Rathermel traveled to Arizona as the Chiefs’ nominee for the NFL’s 2022 Fan of the Year award. Tammy Ljungblad tljungblad@kcstar.com

Instead of tailing off, Mahomes kept the Chiefs’ offense humming with an overhauled cast of pass-catchers that included newcomers JuJu Smith-Schuster and Marquez Valdes-Scantling alongside All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce.

By the end of the regular season, the Chiefs’ Mahomes-led offense ranked first in the NFL in total offense, passing, scoring and yards per play.

“I love playing with him,” Kelce said Thursday, a few hours before the announcement. “He’s nonstop always trying to find ways to make himself better for this team.

“You saw that more so this year than any other year that we’ve played, knowing that the pieces were a little bit different in terms of the weapons that he has and the scrutiny. Everybody was kind of looking to see how he was going to take his game to the next level.“

Smith-Schuster summed it up thusly: “It’s a no-brainer he’s the MVP.”

The MVP was the most coveted honor doled out among a long list of awards Thursday evening. Mahomes was also up for the Walter Payton Man of The Year award for philanthropic endeavors he oversees through his 15 and The Mahomies charitable foundation. Each NFL team, 32 in all, nominated a candidate for that award.

The award went to Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.

Earlier in the evening, Mahomes finished runner-up to Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson for the AP Offensive Player of the Year award. Jefferson garnered 35 of a possible 50 votes.

San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa won the AP Defensive Player of the Year award.

Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin, still recovering from a ghastly on-field injury he suffered during a late-season game against the Bengals, appeared during the Thursday night NFL Honors show in Phoenix with University of Cincinnati Medical Center staff that helped save his life. David J. Phillip AP

Former Chiefs offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, now head coach of the New York Giants, won NFL Coach of the Year.

Running back Rachaad White, who played at Kansas City’s Center High, then starred at Arizona State and now plays for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, was a finalist for the Angry Run of The Year award. It went to Damian Pierce of the Houston Texans.

Cornerback Darrelle Revis, who played for the Chiefs at the end of his career in 2017 but is best known for his All-Pro years with the Jets, was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Two other Chiefs who were nominated, defensive back Albert Lewis and defensive end Jared Allen, did not make the cut.

Thursday night’s NFL Honors gala was a star-studded affair from the jump, albeit with player representation from Sunday’s two Super Bowl teams. Players from other teams and their respective guests began arriving on the red carpet at Symphony Hall around 5 p.m. Central Time.