For the second time in his five years as the Kansas City Chiefs starting quarterback, Patrick Mahomes has won the NFL’s Most Valuable Player award.
He previously won the award in 2018, his first season as the Chiefs starter. In each of the last five seasons, the Chiefs have played for the Lamar Hunt trophy in the AFC Championship game, each of them at home — the only NFL team ever to do so.
Mahomes, who’s preparing the Chiefs for their third Super Bowl appearance in the last four seasons, wasn’t present to receive the award, but in a taped video he thanked God, his family and the Chiefs organization.
Mahomes signed off his video with the reason he’s in the Phoenix area: To win Super Bowl LVII. He said, “Let’s continue to go for that dream this weekend.”
“I think he’s deserving of it for sure,” said Chiefs coach Andy Reid earlier in the day. “He works extremely hard at his profession. He works hard to be the best. He tries to help our team to be the best.”
With a cast of new receivers after the Chiefs traded wide receiver Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins before the 2022 NFL Draft, Mahomes passed for 5,250 yards and 41 touchdowns to lead the league in both categories.
“He says it every day when he comes to practice and into the huddle: ‘Let’s be great today.’ He lives that,” said Reid.
In two games during the Chiefs postseason, Mahomes found his favorite target, tight end Travis Kelce, three times for touchdowns — the most touchdown passes caught by any Chiefs receiver during postseason play.
“He’s non-stop. Always trying to find ways to make himself better for this team,” said Kelce. “You saw that more so this year than any other year that we played, knowing that the pieces were a little bit different.”
Two days before the Thursday evening’s announcement event, Mahomes was asked about the prospect of winning the award for a second time.
“It gives you great appreciation of this sport,” he said. “The hard work that you put in every single day and playing the last few years and not being up for the award, I think it gives me even a better appreciation.”
Though Mahomes is largely known for his passing abilities — and a repertoire that included another no-look completion in a road game at Denver on Dec. 11 — he ran when necessary and in some big moments. The biggest was in the AFC Championship game while playing through a high ankle sprain.
Against the Cincinnati Bengals, Mahomes scampered for a first down on his final carry that, with the help of a penalty on a late hit out-of-bounds, got the Chiefs in field goal range. Then Harrison Butker converted on the winning field goal with three seconds left in the game.
It was the most valuable sequence for the Chiefs and one of many moments when Mahomes carried the team on his back.
