AFC Offensive Player of the Week: Did Patrick Mahomes deserve to win the award for his Week 1 display?
The NFL has revealed the AFC Offensive Player of the Week, and to some shock, Patrick Mahomes was given the Week 1 honor for his offensive prowess. This comes as a surprise considering that Mahomes is currently sitting at #6 in total yardage for quarterbacks. In isolation, though, that stat line in isolation is a bit misleading.
The Kansas City Chiefs also had their hands full with the tenacity of the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. The Browns were ahead in the game through the first half until Mahomes and company decided to come alive in the third and fourth quarters.
Why didn't Derek Carr win AFC Player of the Week?
Once you break down the stat lines, Derek Carr's displays come to the fore. The Raiders QB played a great game as well in Week 1. He outgained Mahomes' total yardage by 98 yards. Carr is currently #1 in yardage for QBs, with 435 yards.
Derek Carr had a stellar performance Monday night after the Las Vegas Raiders beat the Baltimore Ravens in OT. The back-and-forth contest ended in blown TD coverage to Zay Jones.
The Raiders complete the comeback and finally win in a crazy game in Las Vegas https://t.co/KZPAfmWLI5
Carr should have been in the running for AFC POTW honors considering he marched his team to an OT victory and the fact that he out-threw Mahomes by 98 yards. However, ending the game with a win doesn't necessarily mean the game was put on the shoulders of the quarterback.
The Raiders defense showed up, especially with Maxx Crosby earning AFC Defensive Player of the Week. Crosby had six tackles, two sacks and two tackles for loss. Carr definitely got some help in stopping Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens.
Only @PatrickMahomes and @Cheetah... WOW.
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Mahomes simply makes the throws that most quarterbacks only dream of making. His on-the-run darts to Tyreek Hill, for instance, are a thing of beauty. This is how Mahomes can come back against any team, no matter how much of an uphill battle the Chiefs are facing.
Diving deeper into the stats, Mahomes just played a better game than Carr and the rest of the AFC quarterbacks. Although Carr leads the AFC in yardage, Mahomes' passer rating is #1. Joe Burrow's 128.8 is second best. Carr didn't even come close to that number with his 89.5% rating.
Mahomes also is tied at three TDs with Trevor Lawrence of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Mahomes and Baker Mayfield are tied for second place in completion rate. Only Teddy Bridgewater posted a better completion rate with 77.8%.
Breakdown of Mahomes offensive rankings
Yards - 337 (tied for 6th)
TDs - 3 (tied for 1st)
Completion % - 75.0 % (tied for 2nd)
Passer rating - 131.4 (1st)
Mahomes outperformed most other AFC quarterbacks in the offensive categories that just might matter a little more. Touchdowns are what matter most, and the completion rate can be seen as an even bigger stat than most.
Mahomes also helped register a comeback victory for the Chiefs. The Cleveland Browns defense is also formidable, so it would be safe to say that Patrick Mahomes definitely deserved to win AFC POTW honors for Week 1.