Most early projections for NFL MVP award race have Patrick Mahomes in the lead
Sure, there are 13 weeks left in the NFL season, but that hasn’t stopped national writers from looking into their crystal ball or tea leaves to make award predictions.
This includes the Most Valuable Player award, which was won by Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes last season.
Most expect Mahomes will get that trophy again.
Chris Wesseling of NFL.com took a “wildly premature” look at the top 10 contenders for the MVP award. Mahomes was atop the list, followed by Bears star Khalil Mack.
This is a portion of what Wesseling wrote: “When Patrick Mahomes has an off day by his own standards, he still finds a way to negate the absence of both his No. 1 receiver as well as his left tackle, put his weekly allotment of 30-40 points on the scoreboard and walk away with a win. And verily we praise thee, football gods, for the gift of the chosen one with nary a need for a Monday morning alibi.”
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell “quarter-season awards” have Mahomes as the choice for MVP. Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott was second.
This is part of what Barnwell wrote: “His numbers are predictably gaudy. Mahomes is completing nearly 68% of his passes while throwing the ball 9.2 yards in the air. He has a great set of weapons when healthy, but thanks to injuries, Mahomes has been forced to complete passes to 14 different receivers in 2019, which is tied for the league lead. He has become virtually unsackable, as he has been taken down on just 1.6% of his dropbacks. He has thrown for 10 touchdowns without an interception. Mahomes hasn’t taken a huge leap forward in 2019, but given that his baseline in 2018 was the best player in football, improving at all is unbelievable.”
Seven CBS Sports NFL writers made “quarterly awards” picks for the Super Bowl winner, rookie of the year, offensive and defensive player of the year and, of course, MVP. Six of them chose Mahomes.
Here is what John Breech wrote: “The man is on pace to throw for 6,000 yards and although he probably won’t hit that number, he has a good chance to break the NFL single-season record (5,477), and if that happens, he’s definitely winning MVP.”
Danny Heifetz of The Ringer picked his “NFL quarter-season awards.” Mahomes was the MVP choice.
This is an excerpt of what Heifetz wrote: “It is not news that Mahomes leads the league in every important passing category, so let’s discuss his place in history. He has 1,510 passing yards through four weeks, putting him on pace for the first 6,000-yard campaign in NFL history. Not only would that shatter Peyton Manning’s record of 5,477 yards from 2013, it would also surpass the NCAA record that B.J. Symons set at Texas Tech, Mahomes’s alma mater, with 5,833 yards in 2003. A 6,000-passing-yard season is stupefyingly rare at any level of football, and it would be mind-boggling if Mahomes were to do it at the highest level.”
SB Nation’s Adam Stites has Mahomes as the leading contender for the MVP award after Week 4.
This is what Stites wrote: “Mahomes didn’t have a horrible day in Week 4, but a 34-30 win over the Lions was just the third start of his career that ended without a touchdown pass. Still, he’s the NFL leader in passing yards, touchdowns, and passer rating so Mahomes is clearly the man to catch.”
This story was originally published October 3, 2019 at 11:48 AM.