"Patrick Mahomes is not a Top 5 QB" - ESPN analyst delivers bizarre take on Chiefs star
Patrick Mahomes was not in the Super Bowl this year after playing in the previous two championship games. Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs were knocked out of the playoffs in the AFC Championship game by the Cincinnati Bengals, but it was still a great season for the young quarterback after a slow start in 2021. He finished with 4,839 yards, 37 touchdowns and 13 interceptions, which puts him as a top-five quarterback this season.
Even with those top-five stats, there are some who do not think Mahomes is an elite quarterback who is worthy of top ranking. Emmanuel Acho is one of those people. The former NFL linebacker and current ESPN analyst does not agree that the Chiefs Number 15 is a top-five quarterback.
Acho was initially asked if Matthew Stafford of the LA Rams was a top-three quarterback. He responded with a confident "absolutely." For a quarterback who has played in his first postseason since 2016 and threw 17 interceptions, that's a bold statement. That would likely mean Patrick Mahomes is a top-two quarterback, or, at least, a top-five. Nope, not according to Acho.
Acho sees the quarterback as the reason the Chiefs lost the AFC Championship game, and this is the reason why he's not one of his top five. Acho claims his top-five are based on "who do I want to lead my team, based off of what we've seen from them."
.@HDouglas83 cannot believe @TheSamAcho's top 5 NFL QBs list 😅 https://t.co/Nh85gSGk4N
His top five includes Josh Allen at #1, followed by Justin Herbert, Matthew Stafford, NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers and Joe Burrow. Most people would not have included Herbert. And many others would have placed Allen further down the list. Rodgers is easily a top-two quarterback, but the Chiefs quarterback should have been #2.
Making a case for Patrick Mahomes as a top-five QB
Despite playing poorly in the second half of the AFC Championship game, Patrick has been one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL for the last several years. He threw for 1,057 yards, 11 touchdowns in three playoff games, and has never had a season with less than 4,000 yards and 26 touchdowns in four seasons.
The Chiefs would have never paid Patrick $500 million if he wasn't, at least, a top-five quarterback. He might not be the most influential leader in the locker room, but he's been pretty consistent over the last four years. Every other quarterback on Acho's list, outside of Rodgers, could fall off and have a poor outing next season. It's common in the NFL.
This is interesting. For the Burrow fans, who think he’s better than Mahomes, he has 52 td’s in 1066 attempts. Y’all really do need to realize that Patrick Mahomes IS that good! Also, the fact he beat Mahomes twice, is irrelevant, so don’t. https://t.co/EhoL3Iss4f
The debate from Acho was that Stafford took a team that was on the brink of firing their coach to the Super Bowl, but it was less Stafford and more the front office. The additions of Stafford, Von Miller and Odell Beckham Jr. played a role in winning the Super Bowl, as did superstars Cooper Kupp and Aaron Donald.
Mahomes hasn't had a great defense for years or a consistent run game.
Any NFL analyst who leaves Patrick Mahomes off a top-five list better have a better argument than him having a rough second half in one game.