The 2018 NFL regular season is now complete, which means the MVP debate is on. We’ve bee tracking the progress of top MVP candidates all year, and now we’re ready to officially endorse Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs. Here’s why Mahomes gets the nod over future Hall of Fame New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees.
What separates Mahomes from Brees
1. Mahomes became just the third player in NFL history to throw 50 touchdown passes. Brees threw just 32.
2. Mahomes averaged an AFC-high 8.8 yards per pass attempt, ranking second in football behind only Ryan Fitzpatrick. Brees averaged just 8.2
3. Mahomes was surrounded by fewer offensive Pro Bowlers (two) than Brees (three).
4. Mahomes had a bottom-10 defense which surrendered 26.3 points per game, but he still helped Kansas City earn the AFC’s top seed. Brees helped New Orleans earn the NFC’s top seed, but it also helped that the Saints had an above-average defense.
5. Mahomes finished the season strong, posting a 105.5 passer rating in December as the Chiefs offense refused to slow down despite the absence of Kareem Hunt. Brees posted a mere 84.7 rating in his final four games as the New Orleans offense went cold.
6. Mahomes had better numbers than Brees in the fourth quarter of one-score games. Six touchdowns and a 115.4 rating compared to five touchdowns and 110.0 for Brees.
7. Mahomes had a better passer rating (113.2) on third downs than Brees (108.8).
8. Mahomes made more awe-inspiring plays, which certainly has to count for something.
Patrick Mahomes' no-look pass. He's just different pic.twitter.com/oZxehCHXbg
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) December 9, 2018
Add it all up and it more than outweighs the fact Brees set a new completion percentage record at 74.4, or the fact Mahomes had 14 turnovers to Brees’ six. Brees had a slightly higher passer rating, but none of that makes up the advantages Mahomes has above.
