Mina Kimes claims Patrick Mahomes’ greatness is flying under the radar in MVP race – “We’re giving him the LeBron treatment
Patrick Mahomes has already cemented himself as one of the game's most talented quarterbacks. He routinely does things on the football field that others simply cannot do. Despite that, he only has one MVP award in four full seasons.
ESPN analyst Mina Kimes believes it's because he's too talented for his own good. In any season, Mahomes is generally the best player at the most important position on the field. That's usually enough to win MVP.
Voter fatigue, the novelty of a new candidate and many other factors contribute to that type of player not winning as many awards as they probably deserve.
For Kimes, this is the same thing that happens in the NBA with LeBron James.
She said on First Take:
"I do worry that we're starting to give Patrick Mahomes the LeBron treatment where even at age 27, we take his greatness for granted because right now, without Tyreek Hill, he is having the best season he's had since the last time he won MVP."
Jalen Hurts was a popular choice for MVP before injuring his shoulder, which may cost him a few games. But for Kimes, the numbers speak for themselves. Mahomes has better advanced metrics and many better traditional statistics, too.
However, since everyone expects him to be great, the greatness doesn't stick out. Hurts came out of nowhere and the Philadelphia Eagles might be the best team in the league.
Though team record has nothing to do with one single player (it's a team of 53 plus coaches that make up a record), that helps his campaign, too.
The injury might cost him a shot at MVP, but according to Kimes, it would have been undeserved anyway.
What are Patrick Mahomes' MVP odds?
The injury to Hurts drastically changes things. Mahomes was not the favorite, but now is. According to Sports Betting Dimes, these are the current odds:
- Patrick Mahomes -350
- Jalen Hurts +550
- Joe Burrow +600
- Josh Allen +600
- Tua Tagovailoa +15000
- Justin Jefferson +15000
- Tyreek Hill +20000
Anything can happen in the remaining weeks, but it certainly looks like Mahomes' award to lose.