Patrick Mahomes is widely regarded as the best quarterback in the NFL. This season he doesn’t have stats similar to Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, and Joe Burrow, but many people would still choose the Kansas City Chiefs star as their quarterback for the playoffs.
Mahomes didn’t make the Pro Bowl for the first time since he became a starting quarterback in the NFL. Nick Wright was quite shocked by the two-time NFL MVP getting snubbed from the Pro Bowl selection, as his team is 15-1 and has the best record in the NFL.
Nick Wright Sounds Off on Patrick Mahomes’ Pro Bowl Omission
Wright discussed Mahomes’ omission from the Pro Bowl during a recent segment on “First Things First.” The Fox Sports analyst criticized the NFL media and did not understand the reasoning behind the decision.
“This is outrageous,” Wright said. “Because if you would have the NFL media, which votes on the Pro Bowl and votes on the awards and sets the narratives, tell it ‘The Chiefs are the best team in football and 15-1 for no reason whatsoever.’ Do they have the best players? Clearly not because here’s the list of teams with more awesome players than the Chiefs.”
The Baltimore Ravens are 11-5, yet nine of their players made the Pro Bowl. The Chiefs, despite their success this year, have only five players — Travis Kelce, Chris Jones, Trey Smith, Joe Thuney, and Creed Humphrey — representing them in the Pro Bowl.
Wright added, “So, they [Chiefs] don’t have the most talent; they don’t have the best defense, obviously; we know they don’t have the best coach because Andy [Reid] is 40-to-1 to win Coach of the Year. … So, the other thing we’d be like, ‘Oh, the quarterback must have carried them’ — nope not at all. In no world did he carry them, he’s clearly not having that great of a year.”
Mahomes has been productive all season, ranking 10th among QBs in PFN’s QB+ metric with an 85.0 (B), but statistically, he has been down compared to previous seasons. Since 2019, Mahomes has had three of the 10 best (and four of the top 20) QB+ seasons across the NFL, setting an otherworldly standard.
Wright made a valid point — if the media thinks the Chiefs do not have the best players on their team, then their head coach should be the favorite to win the Coach of the Year award.
Kevin O’Connell and Dan Campbell are the prime candidates to win the Coach of the Year award, but do they deserve it over Reid? The Chiefs have a better record while having fewer Pro Bowlers on their team and are the favorite to win the Super Bowl.
For a team to have the best record, either its quarterback is an MVP candidate, its defense has multiple Pro Bowlers, or its head coach is the favorite to win the Coach of the Year award, argues Wright. Surprisingly, the Chiefs’ players and head coach will miss out on all these accolades after having their best season in franchise history.
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Lamar Jackson won MVP last season because his team had the best record. This year, Mahomes’ team has the best record, and he has played most of the season without his WR1 (Rashee Rice), WR2 (Hollywood Brown), and RB1 (Isiah Pacheco) while having a big issue at the left tackle position.
Despite overcoming these factors and leading his team to the best record in the NFL, the Chiefs quarterback is not even among the top four candidates to win the MVP award. Every year, the criteria for the awards change, and it’s hard for the players as they don’t get recognized for doing similar things that won others accolades in the past.
Pro Bowl Snubs Will Motivate Two of the Chiefs’ Best Players
Kansas City has the league’s second-best scoring defense, yet only one of their defensive player has made the Pro Bowl. Trent McDuffie’s omission was also very surprising, as he is one of the most impactful cornerbacks in the league.
McDuffie, a first-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, has been a big contributor to the Chiefs since his debut. He has won two Super Bowls in his first two seasons in the league. He was an All-Pro last season and could be again this year, but he is still searching for his first Pro Bowl selection.
Mahomes and McDuffie missing out on the Pro Bowl might be a blessing in disguise, as the Chiefs players have shown a tendency to play better when people undermine them.
The Chiefs have a bye in the Wild Card Round and could face either the Houston Texans or Pittsburgh Steelers in the Divisional Round. They are well positioned to make their seventh straight AFC Championship Game, and Mahomes coming into the playoffs in good form is a scary sight for the rest of the teams.