KC Chiefs: Patrick Mahomes’ MVP chances should increase in week 17

The KC Chiefs have one regular season game remaining and it’s another opportunity for Patrick Mahomes to prove why he deserves the Most Valuable Player award in 2018.

While the most important thing for the Kansas City Chiefs right now is focusing on the task at hand and beating the Oakland Raiders in week 17, there’s been chatter all season long concerning the MVP award.

Any Chiefs fan would tell you that Patrick Mahomes easily deserves the award. It’s hard to argue for anyone else honestly (and this is coming from someone who LOVES Drew Brees and what he’s done throughout his career), as the Chiefs quarterback has 4,816 passing yards, 48 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions through 15 games this season.

Even if Mahomes doesn’t have a great game this weekend against the Raiders, his odds of winning the MVP likely will go up. Drew Brees, Mahomes’ main opponent for the award, probably won’t be seeing the field much in week 17 due to the New Orleans Saints already clinching the number one seed in the NFC.

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These two appear to be the favorites for MVP at the moment and for good reason. While Brees hasn’t been as hot over the last month, he’s broken so many records this year and has his team at 13-2 with the best record in the entire league.

The reason why I believe Patrick Mahomes deserves MVP, however, is simple. The Kansas City Chiefs aren’t 11-4 without him at the helm.

As much as I like and respect Alex Smith, he wouldn’t have had the Chiefs with this good of a record in 2018. They might have been vying for a playoff spot, but I doubt an AFC West title would have happened for them with how bad this defense is. Smith wouldn’t have consistently put up big numbers every week like Mahomes has.

With the Saints clinching home field advantage on the NFC side of the bracket, there’s no need for Drew Brees to play on Sunday against the Panthers. Missing a game, even if it’s to prevent injury, will probably cost Brees whatever chance he had at MVP.

Patrick Mahomes has yet to really have a bad game, but the only reason I could see him NOT winning MVP is because of the five turnover game versus the Rams. That could be argued (not by me, but by others, so don’t yell at me for saying this) that Mahomes’ five turnovers doomed the Chiefs that week while Brees hasn’t really doomed his team.

Brees has a defense though and Mahomes does not. That means Mahomes has to go out there and put up 30-40 points every week and even then, a win isn’t guaranteed for the Chiefs because their defense is so bad.

Patrick Mahomes and Drew Brees have been neck and neck for MVP all season long, but if Brees doesn’t suit up for Sunday’s game and Mahomes goes out there and gets home field advantage for his team, the Most Valuable Player award should be as good as his.