The Kansas City Chiefs are once more reigning supreme this season. The Patrick Mahomes-led unit at Kansas is enjoying a dream 5-1 season record, having won five games consecutively. However, QB Patrick Mahomes’ personal stats haven’t been as great as one would expect from the 2x MVP.
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Former 49ers DE Leger Douzable recently drew an interesting comparison between Mahomes and Russell Wilson’s 2023 numbers, to suggest that there’s not a lot to separate between them this year. While Mahomes is #2 on the running list for MVPs this season, Douzable believes he hasn’t really earned the spot this time.
Patrick Mahomes 2023 Stats Comparable to Russell Wilson
Former DE and CBS analyst Leger Douzable made an interesting comparison between Mahomes and Wilson’s performance this season. Talking of their individual stats and performances, Douzable pointed out that it is strange that Mahomes is #2 in the MVP race when his stats are as bad as Wilson’s, who is, let’s just say, not a fan-favorite QB right now. He said,
“This is no disrespect to Patrick Mahomes. We know his trajectory is GOAT status. But for this season, so far, he should not be the #2 betting favorite to be MVP. If we look at his play and numbers, they’re very comparable to Russell Wilson, and people want to boot him out of Denver.”
This is no disrespect to Patrick Mahomes. We know his trajectory is 🐐 status. But for this season, so far, he should not be the #2 betting favorite to be MVP. If we look at his play and numbers, they’re very comparable to Russel Wilson, and people want to boot him out of Denver.… pic.twitter.com/JQTlppziyl
— Leger Douzable (@LegerDouzable) October 21, 2023
Getting into the nitty gritty, Douzable did an analysis of the two QBs’ stats, and it does seem like he has a point. In terms of completion percentage, Mahomes comes out just a little bit better than Wilson with 68.3 to Wilson’s 65.9. While Mahomes has completed 1593 passing yards, Wilson is just a little behind with 1305 passing yards. In touchdown passes and interceptions, Wilson actually comes ahead with 12 passes and 4 interceptions, whereas Mahomes only has 11 passes but 5 interceptions. At yards per attempt, both stand together at 7.1. Wilson also has a higher QB rating than Mahomes.
All in all, Douzable believes Mahomes shouldn’t be at the #2 spot when his stats are comparable to disgraced Russell Wilson. While Mahomes’ Chiefs are leading the league and have had amazing performances, Mahomes’ personal stats don’t stand out. However, when the two teams met on the field on 13th October, it was Wilson who was the weak link of his team. He had four passes batted down at the line of scrimmage and was sacked four times.
In Defense of Russell Wilson
A lot of hopes were riding on the Broncos and Wilson this year. However, the start of the season has been incredibly disappointing for Denver. However, reporter James Palmer was much more forgiving of Wilson after their terrible 70-30 loss to Miami four weeks ago. On ‘The Insiders,’ Palmer said,
“This is a brand new offense for him…His footwork’s better, his decision-making is better. His tempo, and the way he plays within this offense have actually improved… The second half has been bad for Russell Wilson…But he is not the problem in Denver by any means.”
While many are not satisfied with Russell Wilson he’s having a great season despite the Broncos’ record. He has 1,250 yards, 12 touchdowns to five interceptions so far in six starts in 2023. The 9x Pro Bowl signal-caller is just four touchdowns shy of his total for the 2022 season. It’s possible that the Broncos’ abysmal record is overshadowing Wilson’s performance.
