Could Swifties spin the narrative on NFL MVP voting? Pat McAfee outlines possibility for Patrick Mahomes to race ahead
Patrick Mahomes is having a great start to the 2023 season as the Chiefs are off to a 3-1 start and atop the AFC West. The five-time Pro Bowler is looking to lead Kansas City back to the Super Bowl this season. However, could Mahomes be in line for league MVP as well thanks to Taylor Swift fans?
Pat McAfee addressed the issue of MVP voting on his show in terms of the impact Swifties, or fans of Swift, can have. He noted that the demographics play a major role and said:
"If we're just doing MVP voting and stuff like that, Patrick Mahomes is probably going to have a whole new demo voting and spinning narrative. And that's the age 12 to 17 teenage girls up 53% off of last season, and then women of age 18 to 24 up 24%, 35+ up 34%.
"I mean, it's all categories whenever it comes to female watching of the NFL up, and that's only in a voting game."
The 12-time Grammy-winning artist has taken over the NFL thanks to multiple appearances at Chiefs games this season. She was first seen in Week 3 as the Chiefs faced the Chicago Bears at Arrowhead Stadium.
Swift was again spotted at MetLife Stadium when the team faced the New York Jets on Sunday night in Week 4. She has been connected romantically to All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce and was seen at an after-party last week.
As for the MVP voting, the NFL selects 16 journalists, who cover the game to cast an MVP ballot, accounting for 80 per cent of the vote. The remaining 20 per cent comes from fans, who can vote online. The new legion of fans in Swifties could help Patrick Mahomes thanks to Kelce.
How many MVP awards does Patrick Mahomes have?
The 28-year-old has two MVPs to his name, winning his first in the 2018 season, He is one of nine quarterbacks to throw for 5,000 yards in a season, getting 5,097 yards with a league-leading 50 touchdowns that season.
Mahomes got his second 5,000-yard season as he led the NFL with 5,250 yards and 41 touchdowns. A third MVP would put the Chiefs in some rare company.
He would join Peyton Manning (5), Aaron Rodgers (4), Tom Brady (3), Brett Favre (3), and Johnny Unitas (3) on that list. We'll see if the Swifties can help Mahomes fill that blank space and get to the milestone this season.