The Chiefs needed overtime to do it, but they were able to clinch their seventh consecutive AFC West title with a 30-24 victory over the Texans on Sunday.
After throwing three picks to keep the Broncos in the game last week, quarterback Patrick Mahomes had a terrific day in Houston. He finished 36-of-41 passing for 336 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. He added five carries for 33 yards, including a 5-yard TD run.
He was so good that when Andy Reid was asked after the game about cleaning up penalties — the Chiefs had 10 for 102 yards in the contest — the head coach brought up Mahomes’ performance throughout the season, unprompted.
“You saw Pat and what he did. I mean, he took care of business today,” Reid said in his press conference. “He went back to work and worked on it. I mean, you’re talking about a guy that, if he’s not the MVP in the league, I’m not sure what’s wrong with them.
“But he cleaned it up and comes out, and we have almost 500 yards of offense, minus 100 of penalties. That’s a pretty spectacular day there. But that’s what he did. Great example of how you go back to the drawing board and make sure that you clean everything up.”
There are other players with an argument for MVP, like Jalen Hurts, Joe Burrow, and Josh Allen. But through 14 games, Mahomes certainly has a good case. He’s leading the league with 4,496 passing yards and 35 touchdowns. He’s completed 67.4 percent of his passes, has 8.1 yards per attempt, and a passer rating of 105.0.
If the Chiefs keep winning and end up as the AFC’s No. 1 seed, it may be hard to vote against him. But there’s still plenty of time for things to change.