“It’s a Shame Patrick Mahomes Isn’t More in the Conversation”: Emmanuel Acho on Josh Allen & Lamar Jackson Dominating the MVP Race

The MVP race in the NFL this season is one of the more intriguing in recent years. Just a couple of weeks ago, it seemed Josh Allen had it in the bag. However, Lamar Jackson is now right on his heels, with many putting forth strong cases for both players. However, Emmanuel Acho is coming in hot (and late) with the case for a third young colt to join what is currently just a two-horse race for the award.

While debating the MVP race on FS1’s football talk show, The Facility, Acho pointed out that there is one player conspicuously absent from the discussion: Patrick Mahomes. Acho made the argument that the Chiefs quarterback should be in the “top three or top four” when debating the MVP because of the low quality of players surrounding him.

“Given the criteria for MVP, it’s a shame that Patrick Mahomes isn’t more in the conversation. We talk about value. Think about what he’s overcome. Isiah Pacheco, hurt. Clyde Edwards-Helaire started the season with mental health [issues] so he was out. Hollywood Brown, out of there. You have to depend on a rookie, in Xavier Worthy. You have to acquire Juju Smith, Noah Gray, Justin Watson. I mean, think about what Patrick Mahomes has had to depend on? “

Fans were predictably split—just like the NFL media—on what to make of Mahomes’ strange 2024 campaign.

While neither Lamar nor Allen boasts an excellent supporting cast either, Acho did make a good point there. Not only have there been injuries, but the skill positions were already threadbare in K.C. before that. Not to mention how awful the Chiefs’ offensive line has been this year when it comes to pass protection, an area where Baltimore and Buffalo have clear advantages.

Acho also mentioned that Mahomes has recently led his team to three wins in 11 days, including two against playoff teams. A low-grade ankle sprain that doesn’t stop him from going full speed when he needs to scramble isn’t really a consideration for us. But, three wins in 11 days is impressive; there’s no getting around that.

However, they beat the lowly Cleveland Browns, the Houston Texans, who are 4-6 since a 5-1 start, and the Pittsburgh Steelers, who have now lost three straight. Not exactly a murderer’s row of opponents at this point in the season. Acho, like many other Mahomes truthers, also harped on the QB’s league-leading seven game-winning drives.

“Seven game-winning drives, most in the NFL. A 15-1 record, we’ve only seen that six times since the turn of the century. So what we’re suggesting is, at minimum, Patrick Mahomes has led a top six team in the last 25 years on seven game-winning drives, and he’s not firmly cemented in the MVP conversation. If it is about value, which I’m reminding you it is about, Mahomes should be in that dialogue in the top three, in the top four.”

While seven game-winning drives (GWDs) are impressive, they don’t really mean much in an MVP race. An MVP generally dominates teams, which makes game-winning drives superfluous. Mahomes and his Chiefs have allowed nearly every game to go right down to the wire, which necessitates his late-game heroics. Is playing poorly for three quarters before dominating the fourth quarter enough to win MVP?

Not in our books. In 2020, Ryan Tannehill led the league in GWDs, with six. The year after, it was Ben Roethlisberger, with seven. The year after that, Kirk Cousins had eight, and last year Geno Smith led the way with five. As you can see, it’s not exactly a who’s who of MVP-caliber passers.

It’s also worth noting that two of Mahomes’ GWDs—against the Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders—only go down as such because the opposition made a bone-headed play.

The 15-1 record can’t be ignored, but again, how often has a 15-1 record resulted in an MVP? Six teams have gone 15-1, and only two times did a player from that team win MVP: Aaron Rodgers in 2011 and Cam Newton in 2015. A quick gander at their numbers from those seasons and you’ll see why both got 48/50 MVP votes.

Patrick Mahomes may be 15-1, but his stats simply don’t measure up. Being the best player in the league for only a quarter of each game is not enough to win a season-long award. Especially not when you’re throwing for fewer yards per game than Kirk Cousins and Brock Purdy, you’re sitting top 10 in interceptions, and your passer rating is about the same as the league average.

We agree that Mahomes should be more prominent in the MVP discussion—but he’s already in the mix. He currently sits with the 6th-shortest MVP odds. He should probably be ahead of Joe Burrow, who’s in 5th, but we wouldn’t say he deserves to be much higher than Jared Goff (4th) or Saquon Barkley (3rd) when taking the whole picture into account.