False rumors from rival fans about Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes have been debunked in ESPN’s latest rankings. No one can disparage Patrick like this anymore

Opposing fan bases have been trying to discredit Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes over the past couple of years.

Statistically speaking, there has been a bit of a decline. However, we know that stats don’t tell the whole story, and the argument falls apart pretty quickly once you understand the entire context.

Lack of an effective rushing attack, poor left tackle play, and numerous injuries to Kansas City’s wide receiver corps have significantly handicapped Mahomes as of late. Despite that, he has led the Chiefs to a 25-6 record over the past two regular seasons, making the Super Bowl each time, with one win.

The folks over at ESPN released their 2025 QB rankings, which is determined by NFL executives, coaches, and scouts. These are obviously people who know football better than anyone, and for the third consecutive year, Mahomes came in at No. 1 on their list. Here’s their breakdown:

From ESPN: “Mahomes’ grip on the top spot is loosening slightly. After dominating the voting with back-to-back No. 1 rankings in convincing fashion, Mahomes garnered around 60% of the first-place votes this year, which is still impressive but well short of last year, when he received all but one first-place vote. He has finished eighth in QBR the past two years; from 2018 through 2022, he finished first or second four times. Rarely does Mahomes look as frazzled as he did vs. Philadelphia in Super Bowl LIV. But context is key with these discussions, and Mahomes’ modest-by-his-standards performance in 2024 (3,928 yards, 26 touchdowns, 11 interceptions) requires a lot of it. Mahomes still leads the NFL in virtually every passing category — from passing yards to touchdowns and yards per attempt — since becoming the starter in 2018. No quarterback was more efficient on third down than Mahomes last season. He led the NFL in third-down QBR (90.4) with a league-high 53.1% of his passing attempts resulting in first downs. Mahomes is squarely in his prime, but he must contend with three elite quarterbacks also in their late-20s arc who are gaining on him.”

An anonymous veteran NFL coordinator said that despite the obstacles he has faced lately, Mahomes is still as good as ever.

“OL in decline, particularly at tackle, WR group completely cleaned out by injury, [Travis] Kelce not near the same player. I thought he had more command of time/score/situation and better fundamentals from within the pocket than ever. He’s a one-man army. And no NFL coach wants to deal with him. Complete dawg. No one like him. Maybe [Joe] Burrow, but Burrow isn’t as dangerous as a player.”

We don’t want to discredit other great QBs in the way that is happening with Mahomes. Guys like Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, and Lamar Jackson are definitely great, and have closed the gap on Mahomes a bit. However, it’s clear that Mahomes is the one that almost everybody would choose when putting together a team.

Hopefully 2025 is the year that Mahomes reminds everybody of that. The Chiefs hope to have solved their left tackles woes with rookie Josh Simmons, and WRs Rashee Rice and Hollywood Brown are coming back healthy. K.C.’s offense could return to the explosiveness it had in Mahomes’ early years as a starter.