Tag: NFL MVP

Patrick Mahomes MVP

NFL Monday Morning Madness: Mahomes locks up MVP + season awards

Posted on by Brent Schwartz

As the seasons change or as life moves on, the NFL’s best players come and go.

In Kansas City, the Chiefs found a 23-year-old phenom gunslinger in Patrick Mahomes. And on Saturday, February 2nd in Atlanta, Mahomes will (and should) be awarded this season’s NFL MVP award.

No, I don’t have one of the 50 votes for the AP award…yet. But if I did, I’d vote for the young quarterback who gave us a season’s worth of jaw-dropping highlight throws, all while leading his team to the AFC’s No. 1 seed and producing this stat line:

5,097 passing yards

50 touchdowns, 12 interceptions

113.8 passer rating

66.8 completion percentage

8.79 yards per attempt

While the Chiefs struggled to compensate for one of the league’s worst defenses, and the defection of running back Kareem Hunt over a domestic dispute, Mahomes led the Chiefs to a 12-4 mark, and produced scores of 40, 51, 28 and 31 in the team’s defeats.

In Tyreek Hill, the Chiefs have one of the most unique offensive weapons in the history of pro football, but it’s Mahomes that perfectly utilizes his world-class speed. Brought up through the sport of baseball, Mahomes has the best arm in the league. He can throw nearly 80 yards effortlessly, and his no-look and side-arm zingers resemble that of Derek Jeter making a cross-bodied throw to first base.

Add in top-tier tight end Travis Kelce, and a litany of mid-level talent in Sammy Watkins and others, and Mahomes does have the tools to succeed. He isn’t making something out of nothing. But Drew Brees (his biggest competitor for this award) has a top-five receiver in Michael Thomas, and the league’s best one-two punch at running back in Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram.

At one point, Brees stole the award in my eyes, but quickly surrendered it during a three-game slump that began with a 13-10 loss to the Cowboys in Dallas. That game saw Brees throw a game-ending interception in crunch time, that cost the Saints the game. Although Mahomes has a game-ending pick of his own in a 54-51 loss to the Rams, he showed his talent by matching one of team’s most explosive offenses score for score. That’s just as he did in a 43-40 loss to the Patriots, the NFL’s model franchise, in primetime.

Mahomes is the perfect compliment to the forward-thinking Andy Reid at coach. And as a dual-threat player at the game’s most important position, Mahomes shouldn’t be compared to players such as Cam Newton, a fine quarterback in his own right that hasn’t been able to replicate his 2015 MVP campaign.

Mahomes may not post historic numbers like this again. This will likely be his best season statistically, by pure volume. But he will be a top-five quarterback for years to come. He won’t fall back like Newton, or possibly how Carson Wentz may be doing after a successful 2017 season. He’s the real deal at the most important position in sports.

After sitting for a year behind Alex Smith, Andy Reid chose to ride with Mahomes, and the results that he envisioned with his young passer have materialized on the field. Mahomes has compensated for the loss of one of his most dynamic weapons and and a lousy defense that has failed him in the team’s biggest games of the year. Despite the anchors weighing him down, the Chiefs have home-field advantage in their conference, and are the AFC’s favorite to reach Super Bowl LIII.

That spells MVP. Well, that and the fact that he has 15 more touchdown passes and memorable moments than anyone else this season.

The rest…..season awards

Coach of the Year — Pete Carroll 

Bears head coach Matt Nagy has been impressive as a first-year coach leading a talented bunch to the NFC North title. But Carroll’s team was left for dead after an 0-2 start and the loss of Earl Thomas, among others this offseason. The fact that they made the postseason is incredible. They are the Patriots of the NFC. They didn’t need a full re-build, they just re-tooled on the fly. That’s easier to do with a coach like Carroll.

Offensive Player of the Year — Patrick Mahomes

Not much else to say here…

Defensive Player of the Year — Aaron Donald

Khalil Mack was a lock to win this award around midseason. He transformed the Bears into a Super Bowl contender. But Donald’s 20.5 sacks from the interior are otherworldly. He’s the best player in football, at any position.

Offensive Player of the Year — Baker Mayfield

I’d love to go with Saquon Barkley here, but Mayfield completely transformed the NFL’s sad sack franchise into an instant contender. Look out in 2019.

Defensive Player of the Year — Derwin James

Others such as Darius Leonard, Leighton Vander Esch and Bradley Chubb have played well enough to win this award, but James is the perfect specimen to stop modern-day NFL offenses. He’s virtually positionless, short of like Kevin Durant in the NBA.

Comeback Player of the Year — Andrew Luck 

J.J. Watt was outstanding this year. He’s back to being a top-10 player. But Luck rallied the Colts from a 1-5 start to a 10-6 mark and a playoff berth. The Colts have a renewed sense of hope. They will be a contender in the AFC in the early part of the 2020’s, and that’s mostly on Luck, who is a borderline top-five quarterback again.

Phillip Rivers vs Steelers

NFL Monday Morning Madness: Chargers’ thrilling comeback + Patriots edge Vikings

Posted on by Brent Schwartz

It was over and it was expected. At least that’s what we all thought when the Chargers trailed 23-7 at halftime in Pittsburgh. They had laid another egg in a big game on national television.

Instead, Phillip Rivers, Keenan Allen, Justin Jackson and others helped to rally the Chargers to a 33-30 win that came about without Melvin Gordon, one of the league’s most outstanding running backs.

Facing a 3rd-and-4 with the game tied with just over a minute to play, Rivers found Allen on an out route working against man coverage (against a linebacker — yikes) in the slot. Allen is the league’s best receiver out of the slot, and that includes other high-profile guys who spend a lot of time positioned there, such as the Saints’ Michael Thomas. Allen hauled in 14 catches for 148 yards and a whacky score, all while keeping the pace with the league’s best receiver, Antonio Brown, who also had a good night — 10 catches, 154 yards, one touchdown.

“I could feel it in the locker room,” Allen told NBC’s Michele Tafoya after the game. “We built this off the end of the season last year. Now, this year we’re just rolling.”

The Chargers are rolling because they have the AFC’s most talented team, from top to bottom. With Joey Bosa back and healthy, the combination of him and Melvin Ingram gives Los Angeles a nasty pass rush. After being stifled by the Steelers offensive line for much of the night, the duo came alive in the second half. On offense, Rivers has been spectacular all year. A dark-horse MVP candidate that would get more love if it weren’t for the ridiculous seasons being put forth by Patrick Mahomes and Drew Brees.

The win was Rivers’ 7th career comeback win after trailing by at least 16 points, which ties Peyton Manning for the most all-time by a quarterback. And it was arguably the biggest regular season win of his career. If not, certainly in recent memory.

The Chargers (9-3) now have an outside shot at the AFC West — the Chiefs (10-2) would hold the tiebreaker even if the Chargers beat them in two weeks — and certainly have all but locked up the conference’s No. 5 seed.

Certainly, this Chargers team is different. They have talent and guts. And because of that, there’s a new team to monitor in the AFC.

Patriots handle Vikings, move toward first-round bye

Here they come. Just like clockwork. This is one of the more flawed Patriots  teams in years, right? That may be so but it didn’t show on the field in New England’s 24-10 throttling of the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.

In surprising fashion, the Patriots (9-3) defense actually outplayed Tom Brady and the offense, holding the talented Vikings offense to 278 total yards and forcing 2 turnovers.

Trey Flowers, playing on a contract year, is showing why he’s one of the best edge defenders in football, while Dont’a Hightower and Jason McCourty, two players on the backend of their careers, turned in vintage performances.

Speaking of vintage, when the Patriots hopped out of I-formation, Brady was sharp throughout, which should put any “Brady is done” talk to rest.

The Patriots are getting healthy at the right time, as exemplified by Rex Burkhead, who looked spry in his return. With the trio of Burkhead, James White and Sony Michel complimenting No. 1 wide reciever Josh Gordon, some of the pressure comes off the older, usually more reliable trio of Rob Gronkowski, Julian Edelman and Chris Hogan. All three are still among Brady’s favorite, and will come through when called upon, but their very best years are over. That’s okay. Brady, and the Patriots, will make due.

With Kareem Hunt’s gone in Kansas City, the Chiefs (10-2) may now be vulnerable in an area other than just their sour defense and January bad luck. Meaning Bill Belichick’s bunch has a real shot at home field advantage throughout the AFC, if they are to win out.

Other top-end organizations in the Seahawks (7-5) and Ravens (7-5) are already out the gate in December with impressive wins of their own. But it’s the Patriots leading the pack in that category once more. This is what they do best — playing at the top of their game from December and on. Their annual march has begun.

Quick-hits

– It’s clear, the Bears need Mitchell Trubisky back. Although wild and inconsistent through the air, Chicago canon survive Chase Daniel. As it stands they were lucky to do so on Thanksgiving, squeezing by on a poor pick-six in the fourth quarter by Matthew Stafford then. They needed an onside kick and a touchdown pass from running back Tarik Cohen to force overtime this week. Once they got to the extra period, Daniel couldn’t get the Bears downfield. They’re basically looking at the NFC’s No. 3 seed at this point, and that’s if they win the NFC North. They should. But they need their quarterback.

– The Texans may be for real. Maybe. With nine straight wins versus lower-end competition, it would be easy to question their greatness. But that’s just it — NINE STRAIGHT WINS. When you win that often against lower competition, it usually means you’re in a higher class. That’s the Texans. They’re in good position to be one of the AFC’s top two seeds. They’ll most likely be a No. 3 seed. After the Steelers’ loss, they have that just about locked up.

– As briefly mentioned in the Patriots-Vikings section, here come the Seahawks and Ravens. Two 7-5 squads that have a penchant for good coaching and solid football in December and on. The Ravens mystique has taken a hit in that category because of their Week 17 loss to the Bengals, and the fact that they haven’t made the postseason since 2014. But behind rookie Lamar Jackson, Baltimore has won three straight to jump back into the wild card race in the AFC. They travel to Kansas City next Sunday. The Seahawks have been consistently good for just about the entirety of the Russell Wilson era (since 2012). Wilson is proving to be a top-five quarterback at the very least this season, working with a team that was gutted this offseason. Seattle is heading in the right direction between Wilson and Pete Carroll, who is still clearly a top-five coach. Baltimore and Seattle. Two tough football teams that look poised for the playoffs. Any division winners eager to see them come to town in January? I wouldn’t think so.

NFL MVP Race

1. Patrick Mahomes — The Saints’ loss in Dallas, coupled with Mahomes’ prolific performance in his first game without Kareem Hunt, vault Mahomes to the top spot for now. But it’s a close race. He’ll likely have to retain the AFC’s No. 1 seed to win the award.

2. Drew Brees — Brees’ subpar performance in Dallas featured a game-ending interception with a chance to drive down and tie/win the game. The loss also temporarily knocked the Saints back to the No. 2 seed. It’s the closest race in years, but he goes here for now, just barely.

3. Jared Goff — The conductor of Sean McVay’s mastermind offense.

4. Aaron Donald — It’s tempting to put Donald over Goff but quarterbacks are too valuable in today’s NFL. That being said Donald is the BEST player in football right now. Yes, even better than quarterbacks such as Mahomes and Brees.

5. Phillip Rivers — As discussed earlier in this column, Rivers is the dark-horse candidate. He’s been incredible this season. If the Chargers somehow steal the AFC West, he’ll have a real shot at this award.

Honorable mention: Russell Wilson, Ezekiel Elliott, Todd Gurley, Khalil Mack, Andrew Luck, Tyreek Hill

Gerald Everett vs Chiefs

NFL Monday Morning Madness (Tuesday Edition): Rams outlast Chiefs + NFL MVP race

Posted on by Brent Schwartz

They share explosive, transcendent offenses. They share prolific young quarterbacks. They’ve literally shared players (Marcus Peters, Sammy Watkins). And yes, they even used to share states (Missouri).

On Monday night the Chiefs and Rams put on a show to the fullest extent at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. With an expected litany of points scored, millions of viewers still should be wowed by the insanity that transpired in the Rams’ 54-51 victory.

Is this the beginning of a diehard Rams fanbase building up in LA?

If so, it begins with Jared Goff’s cool-as-ever game-winning drive in the final minutes — with no timeouts — to send Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs (9-2) home, with their second loss of the season.

“It felt like Texas Tech and Cal,” Goff said he told Mahomes after the game.

Mahomes was brilliant on his own, notching nearly 500 passing yards and throwing for six scores. But he had five turnovers, including two interceptions on his final two possessions, in the game’s final two minutes.

In the first game in NFL history that featured both teams scoring at least 50 points, there did happen to be seven turnovers, and three defensive touchdowns.

Aaron Donald strips Patrick Mahomes
Aaron Donald recorded two strip-sacks of Patrick Mahomes in Monday’s win over the Chiefs. (Screenshot: NFL on ESPN)

But it was the Rams (10-1) who received the biggest boost from their defense, no matter how little. Aaron Donald — the NFL’s best non-quarterback — and Samson Ebukam – two defensive touchdowns — helped separate the two squads by making their mark in three different Mahomes turnovers, with two resulting in scores.

The league has obviously been shifting to become more offensive-centric for the past few decades, but something happened in the Eagles’ 41-33 victory over the Patriots in Super Bowl LII.

Where is the defense? Is it even needed anymore to win a championship. The answer is yes, but only sort of. Brandon Graham’s strip sack of Tom Brady last February was virtually the only big defensive play made in the contest, and it won the Eagles the game.

The NFL sure seems like it’s ushering in a new era. For however long that lasts, Super Bowl-caliber teams have offenses such as the Rams, Chiefs and Saints — and to a lesser extent, the Steelers and Patriots.

And the team with the most consistent offense, experienced head coach and quarterback, and/or closest to average defense wins. Last season, the Eagles played their part. This season, the Saints look like a much better version of last year’s Eagles. Especially after their 48-7 drubbing of Philadelphia on Sunday. They’re the Super Bowl LIII favorite. But in Pittsburgh and New England, two teams with the potential to run rampant on offense, and mightily improve on defense, are lying in the weeds.

But for tonight, the Rams and Chiefs put on a spectacular show for the ages. Or perhaps one of the inaugural shows of a new age. Time will tell, and our first example begins in the post-Thanksgiving push to Super Bowl LIII.

NFL MVP Race

1. Drew Brees — Brees is on pace to have perhaps the most efficient season a quarterback has ever had, at age 39. Where have we heard that before? (See: Tom Brady’s 2016 season at age 39).

2. Patrick Mahomes — Consider this, the Chiefs have averaged 45.5 points per game in their two LOSSES. Nonetheless, Mahomes’ five turnovers in the loss to the Rams puts him here for now. He may be battling Todd Gurley for the Offensive Player of the Year award at this point, if Brees keeps up his pace.

3. Jared Goff — Goff passes Gurley with his extraordinary performance to lift the Rams over the Chiefs. The quarterback position is clearly more important, as Gurley had a forgettable performance in a game where the Rams scored 54 points.

4. Todd Gurley — Yes, QBs are more important. But that doesn’t mean you can’t marvel at Gurley’s incredible season. He’s the best non-QB OFFENSIVE player in football. Aaron Donald, his teammate on defense, would be the best non-QB overall.

5. Andrew Luck — The Colts have risen from the dead, winning four straight games after starting 1-5, to pull even at .500. Luck is back, and the Colts are a force to be reckoned with in 2019 and beyond. And perhaps, the rest of this season.

Honorable mention: Aaron Donald, Antonio Brown, Alvin Kamara, Michael Thomas, Ben Roethlisberger

Rob Gronkowski vs Chiefs

NFL Monday Morning Madness: Brady-Mahomes duel (Part I of II?) one for the ages + NFL MVP race

Posted on by Brent Schwartz

The game of the year (so far) lived up the billing. It could have been named regular season game of the decade and lived up to the hype, and then some. There’s a lot to unpack, a lot to examine in one of the wildest games in NFL history. A 43-40, video-game like thriller resulting in a 43-40 win for the Patriots over the Chiefs. The game may decide a lot more than just last night’s result in the standings. But we’ll get to that.

We’ll begin with the greatest quarterback of all-time, and his 2018 offense, which has the chance to develop into one of Tom Brady’s best, just in time for the November-December-January trek.

“I think we have a lot of clutch players,” Brady said at his postgame press conference. “I don’t think we have a problem grinding it out.”

Among the players grinding it out in the 4th quarter were Rob Gronkowski and Chris Hogan. Each of them made two huge catches in the fourth quarter (four of their seven catches combined for the night) to help set up 13 key points late, that ultimately won the game.

Joining Gronkowski and Hogan (and his 39-yard virtual game-winning catch above) were Sony Michel (106 rushing yards, 2 TDs), James White (92 total yards), Julian Edelman (four catches, 54 yards, TD) and Josh Gordon (five catches, 42 yards) as a holster of weapons — some tenured, some developing — in an offense that should become scarier leading up to Halloween and beyond.

In the win, Brady became the winningest-player (227 wins) at any position in NFL history, along with garnering his 200th career regular season win, which is another league record.

The same cannot be said about the Patriots’ defense, whose gimmicky (and smart) defense that confused Patrick Mahomes early on faded away as the game went along. But the Patriots’ defense is as advertised. The story here is Mahomes, a never-before-seen player who is a healthy mix between Aaron Rodgers and Brett Favre (Packer fans’ input?), but too original to heavily compare him to anyone.

After a few mistakes early on, Mahomes delivered four touchdown passes in the fourth quarter, leading the Chiefs to 31 second-half points to take the lead after being down 24-9 at the half.

“Just to be able to go against the best, that fight is something you can carry on for the rest of the season,” Mahomes said during his postgame presser.

Rarely does game in October mean so much, but there was a lot at stake on Sunday night. Stephen Gostkowski’s 28-yard game-winning field goal) brought the Patriots (4-2) within one game of the Chiefs (5-1) and gives New England the tiebreaker if the AFC’s No. 1 seed comes down to that. The Chiefs have a tough Week 11 matchup with the league-best Rams in Mexico City, but ultimately have the much-easier schedule down the stretch, as the Patriots host the Packers and Vikings, and travel to face the Bears (next Sunday) and Steelers as part of a tough journey ahead. A win here would have been a knockout punch fo the Chiefs, who may still host the AFC Championship Game.

It’s possible Eric Berry and Justin Houston would be available to boost Kansas City’s defense at Arrowhead Stadium (or Gillette Stadium) when the rematch materializes. And it will.

The Chiefs will still have Travis Kelce, and Patriots-dominating offensive weapons Kareem Hunt (185 total yards, TD) and Tyreek Hill (seven catches, 142 yards, three receiving TDs) who have played two games in New England in the last 13 months, and have been unstoppable in each.

The brief postgame handshake between Brady and Mahomes felt like a possible passing of the torch, even if delayed for another season or too. Brady is still the game’s best player now, and ever. But Mahomes has arrived. It wasn’t as sweet as Tim Duncan’s interaction with LeBron James after the 2007 NBA Finals, but if Kansas City ousts New England in the playoffs, this could be the game we look back at as maybe Brady’s last moment as lead dog. But Brady is a machine, and that can’t yet be predicted for sure.

The defensive-minded Ravens and Jaguars, or talented Chargers and Steelers may have a say here, but expect to see a rematch this January in the AFC Championship game.. Chiefs-Patriots, or Patriots-Chiefs. Whichever it is, treat it as well….a treat. A wonderful second meal (way better than a measly dessert) all football fans deserve, after tasting it’s imperfect perfection on Sunday Night.

The game of the year (so far) lived up to the hype.

Cream of the crop always…..you know

Are the Steelers slowly easing their way back into contenders status? What we do know after their thrilling, last-second win in Cincinnati, is that the Bengals aren’t quite ready for that label. With a chance to take a commanding early lead in the AFC North, they lost at home, as the Steelers are now just a half game back in the division.

It was Ben Roethlisbeger to Antonio Brown for the game-winning score with 10 seconds remaining, as he drove down the field with help (including a two-point conversion) from JuJu Smith-Schuster, who was equally as clutch. Like the Patriots, the Steelers seem to start off slow in recent seasons. But with the drams surrounding the team this season, and the absence of Le’Veon Bell, the skepticism was well-warranted. But with the ascension of James Connor, the grittiness of Big Ben, and AB84 back to being, well, the game’s best receiver, the Steelers are back in the thick of things.

Pittsburgh is the favorite to win the AFC North, again. That’s six straight losses to Pittsburgh for the Bengals, who may need to think about Wild Card spots after this loss.

AFC South logjam

What in the world is happening with the AFC South?

The most shocking development has been the uneven play of the Jaguars (3-3), who have looked awful as of late, mostly because of the pumpkin-reverting play by Jags QB Blake Bortles, who was again shaky in the team’s 40-7 loss in Dallas to the Cowboys.

But at least the Jaguars have a signature win (Week 2 vs. Patriots) to bank on. The Titans (3-3) have played six ugly games, and after a road loss in Buffalo, and now a 21-0 home loss to the Ravens, the team is clearly trending downward, even after wins over the Jaguars and Eagles.

Then there’s the Texans (3-3). After an 0-3 start, the team has fallen ass-backward into three straight wins to move into a tie for first place in the division. Houston needed a pick-six (and another interception following that) by the immortal Nathan Peterman to beat the Buffalo Bills (2-4) at home. Houston hasn’t looked particularly solid in any game this season, as Deshaun Watson eases back in from an ACL tear last season, and the common Year 2 blues that a young QB generally experiences.

The Jaguars are probably the team to beat in this division, as their talented defense should lead them to the AFC South title, and the conferees’s No. 4 seed, at minimum. But with the way Bortles has been playing, that’s far from a sure thing. The overall take of this group (which includes the 1-5 Indianapolis Colts) through six games? ‘Woof.’

Quick-hits

– For Dolphins running back Kenyan Drake, the keyword is ‘mental toughness.’ Especially after he seemingly fumbled away a victory at the one-inch line in overtime, only to lead the Dolphins back into field goal range after given a second chance (Bears missed field goal.) The win really exhibited the grit that Gase so desires from his team after an offseason overhaul. Miami kept pace in the AFC East with the win.

The Bears get the Bengals’ treatment in that they may be a year away from being a ‘true’ contender in their conference. But traveling to Miami from Chicago for an early start time is as tough as it gets for a non-East coast team. But still, the game was up grabs and the Bears capitalized on virtually nothing, minus a big interception late of Brock Osweiler returned the other way to set up a score. But after blowing leads of 21-13 and 28-21 to Osweiler, it seems the Bears are super talented, but aren’t a true contender yet. 2019 may be their year. Up next for the Bears? The surging Patriots, who will be looking for their first road victory of 2018.

– The perfect picture to sum up the Redskins’ 23-17 victory over the Panthers at home. Both teams are now 3-2.

– Here come the Los Angeles Chargers. Their third straight win, a 38-14 dismantling of the upstart Browns in Cleveland, bring them to 4-2 and squarely in the mix in the AFC. They’re one of the league’s five or six most talented teams, that will only get better with the return of Joey Bosa at some point. Also, they’re only losses are to the Rams and Chiefs, two of the league’s best clubs. However, their track record of errant miscues at the most inopportune times should serve as a tale of caution for anyone predicting them to make a deep playoff run. But it’s fun to get reeled in. The talent is there. Will coaching and well-executed play in the clutch catch up this season?

NFL MVP Race

1) Patrick Mahomes – What more can you say? Even in a loss he showed why he belongs here for now.

2) Todd Gurley – Gurley has overtaken the throne — previously held by Le’Veon Bell — as the league’s best running back. The Rams RB1 has also passed Antonio Brown as the NFL’s best non-QB, offensive weapon. Jared Goff has begun taking the mantle as the leader of this team, but Gurley is still engine.

3) Jared Goff – The Rams were Gurley’s team last season. This year it’s a mix between Gurley and Goff. If the Rams ultimately are to win Super Bowl LIII, the third-year QB will have to fully take the mantle. If it doesn’t happen then, it soon will. It’s a QB-driven league and offensive mastermind Sean McVay has his guy.

4) Drew Brees – With 11 TDs, ZERO interceptions and a league-high 77.9 completion percentage, Brees is playing perhaps his best football at age 39. Don’t sleep on the 2018 New Orleans Saints.

5) Alvin Kamara – Similar to the Rams’ situation explained above, Kamara is becoming the engine of the Saints’ offense. Brees is still the offense, and the franchise, but with help from Kamara (and Michael Thomas), the Saints are gaining momentum as a NFC powerhouse. They have more than just their QB to thank.

Next up: Khalil Mack, Tom Brady, Adam Thielen