With the football season underway, the excitement surrounding the MVP race is understandable and in light of that, the First Take trio shared their insights on who they believe has the shot at clinching the award. Notably, Patrick Mahomes leads as the favorite at 5 to 1 odds to secure his MVP accolade according to ESPN Bet.
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In a segment on First Take, former NFL stars, Ryan Clark and Harry Douglas, and ex-GM of New York Jets, Mike Tannenbaum engaged in an in-depth discussion about the top contenders for this year’s NFL MVP title. While Douglas voiced his support for Justin Herbert and Tannenbaum backed C.J. Stroud, Ryan Clark made an argument for why Patrick Mahomes deserves consideration as the frontrunner for this year’s NFL MVP honor.
Clark brought up how the Kansas City Chiefs have revamped their roster during the offseason to support Mahomes which is bound to give him speed, dependable hands, and deep-threat capabilities on offense. Moreover, he feels this upcoming season appears to be the one for the star QB:
“They went out and got him Hollywood Brown and Xavier Worthy. Rashee Rice ascended last year, and despite some off-season issues, I believe Patrick Mahomes is going to be on one of those prove-it years,” shared Clark.
Furthermore, Clark made comparisons to Aaron Rodgers, the veteran QB, who is renowned for his consistency once mentioned that what some might perceive as a down year for him would be considered outstanding for most quarterbacks. Similarly, despite criticisms of Mahomes’ performance last season, it was truly exceptional. Having said that, Ryan Clark also pointed out how MVP fatigue might affect Patrick Mahomes.
Patrick Mahomes Competing Against Himself
On First Take, as the discussion shifted towards discussing how MVP fatigue might affect Patrick Mahomes, Ryan Clark cleared the air saying how it is a common occurrence among NBA superstars like LeBron James and Michael Jordan, where a player’s exceptional performance becomes so regular that it loses its spark.
“You get like LeBron fatigue, Michael Jordan fatigue. When you see these guys excel at such a high level, we don’t come in here on Monday and talk about it the same way,” shared Clark.
Speaking of which, Clark drew a comparison between Mahomes’ potential season and another MVP favorite, C.J. Stroud. For instance, if C.J. manages to lead the Texans to a win against the Ravens or, if Stefon Diggs and Josh Allen revived their chemistry in Bills, it would surely grab headlines.
On the other hand, even if Mahomes maintained an 8-2 record with top-notch performances, his consistent excellence might not receive as much attention.
Additionally, Clark is concerned about the Kansas City Chiefs offensive line- issues with Jawan Taylor’s penalties and uncertainties surrounding the tackle position. These challenges could give difficulties to Patrick Mahomes despite having Hollywood Brown and Xavier Worthy on his side.
