Getty
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
For the past several years, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has been widely regarded as the No. 1 QB in the NFL, but the latest ranking news was a major deviation away from that honor.
In an NFL.com article ranking 2025 quarterback play, based on “the regular season AND the playoffs,” Mahomes wasn’t even included in the top 10. Granted, this wasn’t the two-time NFL MVP’s best season, but a lot of the Chiefs’ issues weren’t caused by their superstar QB.
In fact, some might say Mahomes held things together for as long as he could, keeping KC competitive for most of the year despite less-than-ideal circumstances.
That wasn’t good enough for Nick Shook of NFL.com, though, as the staff writer ranked Mahomes as the 13th best quarterback in football this season. Talk about disrespect.
“Patrick Mahomes tried his best, but even he couldn’t save the Chiefs from their demise in 2025,” Shook explained. “The devil was in the details for much of the season, and when the margin for error shrunk late, Mahomes’ struggles increased, as evidenced by the 5-7 TD-INT ratio he posted from the start of November through his unfortunate season-ending ACL injury in Week 15.”
Mahomes finished with a 62.7 completion percentage and 22 passing touchdowns compared to 11 interceptions. He also threw for 3,587 yards in just 14 games, with 422 rushing yards, 5 touchdowns on the ground and 3 fumbles.
NFL News Ranks Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes Lower Than Several AFC Rivals
GettyKansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is still one of the best in the NFL.
If you were wondering how 12 quarterbacks were ranked higher than Mahomes this season, we’re right there with you. Below was Shook and NFL.com’s entire top 12.
- Matthew Stafford.
- Josh Allen.
- Dak Prescott.
- Drake Maye.
- Justin Herbert.
- Trevor Lawrence.
- Sam Darnold.
- Caleb Williams.
- Jared Goff.
- Joe Burrow.
- Lamar Jackson.
- Daniel Jones.
Most Chiefs fans would probably argue Mahomes is still the best quarterback in football, and that may certainly be the case in 2026 if Kansas City rebounds. However, this was a 2025 ranking, focusing only on this year.
With that in mind, it’s fair to say MVP finalists Stafford (winner), Maye and Allen were better. QBs like Prescott and Goff also had career seasons, statistically speaking, even though their teams missed the playoffs, too. And Darnold won the Super Bowl, so he earned his spot.
But there are several names ahead of Mahomes that are total head-scratchers. Jones had a nice bounce-back year in a run-heavy offense before suffering a season-ending injury, but would anybody in their right mind take him over Mahomes in 2025, or any season? No shot.
Jackson had arguably the worst campaign of his NFL career and also missed time with injury. Burrow barely played and had mixed results when he was healthy. And Williams threw 12 interceptions with a 57.3 completion percentage.
Then there’s Herbert and Lawrence, who had comparable stats to Mahomes on better teams.
So, while it’s safe to say Mahomes shouldn’t have ranked No. 1 in 2025, or even top five, not having him in the top 10 is somewhat shocking. You can bet Patrick and the Chiefs will file this one away in the bulletin board material folder as he works his way back from a torn ACL.
Latest on Patrick Mahomes’ Injury Recovery
Mahomes is already making quick progress as he works his way back from knee surgery.
The Chiefs QB stated that his goal is to make it back in time for Week 1. Although even he admitted that there’s a chance he misses some time.
Considering how important Mahomes is to the Chiefs, the current theory is that head coach Andy Reid won’t rush him back into action. Meaning, an early October return is more likely than early September.
But at the same time, no one is willing to bet against Mahomes. President and CEO Clark Hunt, Reid, and personal trainer Bobby Stroupe have all been outspoken in saying that they wouldn’t count out their quarterback being ready for Week 1.
As recently as February 5, Mahomes was seen walking around without crutches at an event, so he appears to be on schedule so far.
Michael Obermuller covers the NFL as an Associate Editor for Heavy Sports, where he began writing in 2021. His areas of focus include the NFL breaking news operation, Kansas City Chiefs, New York Giants, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Pittsburgh Steelers, with expert knowledge on each based on years of coverage. Michael is an NYC area native and Quinnipiac graduate. More about Michael Obermuller
