(Photo: Sports Illustrated)
5. Patrick Mahomes: Welcome to part two of “Best In The Business”! So far, two Wide Receivers and three defensive players have been revealed. This next guy I don’t think is a stranger to anyone’s top players’ list anymore. I remember when he first made mine and people said, “Let’s see what he does in his second full year” then went out and won his first Super Bowl. Every year he’s been in the league, he has played in an AFC Championship game or a Super Bowl. Now, he’s in the prime of his career and continues to climb that ladder along with being mentioned as one of the greatest Quarterbacks to play. Patrick Mahomes is back for the sixth consecutive season. He kicks off the top five and checks in as my second-ranked Quarterback in the league today.
At this point, I’ve run out of things to say about him. This guy is must-see TV and you watch him either to root for him or against him. Patrick has that ability to make something out of nothing and create a play which he’s become known for since coming into the league. I can tell he’s watched videos of Drew Brees and I say that because of his ability to throw a receiver open and place the football exactly where only his intended receiver can get it. Drew was the king of that and Patrick is doing the same. From his first season now, I’ve seen so much growth in him at the position, but most importantly, he’s become a vocal leader in that locker room and on the sidelines. No Quarterback in the league is better at extending the play or moving such as Patrick Mahomes. Even when things appear to be closing in on him, he finds ways to make something out of nothing. He doesn’t go away easily either because he can take some crushing hits but still plays through pain. That’s the toughness on full display there and it’s also the warrior mentality. Let’s talk about the passes he can make. Patrick throws off the back foot, makes side-armed passes, flips the ball, throws it underhand and that goes to show you he can complete each pass. He’s done things to innovate the game since becoming a starting Quarterback. It’s a given to watch him do the things he’s able to do every year. When the game is on the line, there’s no other guy I’d want over him.
2023 was a year of firsts for Patrick since he was named the starting Quarterback of the Chiefs. It was the first time the team didn’t finish a season with one of the top two seeds in the AFC Playoffs, they finished with six losses which is the most in the Mahomes era, and for the first time in his career, Patrick played in two playoff road games. There was doubt and I think after last year people stopped picking against him or doubting him. He wins his first playoff road game over the Bills in the divisional round and a week later, goes into Baltimore and defeats the top-seeded Ravens to advance to the Super Bowl. Then, he wins back-to-back Super Bowls becoming the first Quarterback since Tom Brady to lead his team to a repeat. He has already established himself as one of the greats.
