Shannon Sharpe compares Patrick Mahomes to Tiger Woods of 20 years ago
Patrick Mahomes and Tiger Woods play two different sports and the bulk of their careers take place in different eras. However, the greatness of the two might have reached the same level. That is, at least according to NFL analyst Shannon Sharpe, who compared the two on First Take in his debut episode. Here's how he put it:
"I'm taking Mahomes. Mahomes is Tiger Woods in his prime at the Masters. No one would ever be the favorite over Tiger at the Masters when he was in his prime. No one should be favorite over Patrick Mahomes, because we saw what he did last year."
He continued, recapping what the quarterback accomplished last year:
"You took away arguably the most dangerous receiver, the most dangerous player in the NFL in Tyreek Hill. What does he do? He goes on, throws for 5,250 yards, 41 touchdowns, wins the league MVP and the Super Bowl MVP. He just did it in a different way. You didn't have the 50, 60 yard touchdowns, but he's as dynamic as he's ever been."
How does 2022 stack up for Patrick Mahomes in his career?
Of course, Mahomes and other teammates like Travis Kelce would also likely attest as well that when it comes to Super Bowls, 2022 tied 2019 as the best in his career. However, in terms of production, how did the quarterback fare? When it comes to total touchdowns thrown, he fell short of setting a personal best.
Last year, he threw 41 touchdowns while in 2018, he threw 50. That said, it was the second-most he'd thrown in his career.
In terms of completion percentage, however, 2022 was his best mark at 67.1 percent despite losing Tyreek Hill. It was also the best year of his career in terms of total yards thrown at 5,250.
One area where Patrick Mahomes has gotten worse
While Patrick Mahomes' yardage, completion percentage and number of touchdowns has been as consistent as any quarterback since 2018, one area has seen him take a clear step back.
Before Tyreek Hill's final year, Mahomes had at least tied or improved upon his interception percentage chance on a pass thrown. In 2018, he threw an interception on 2.1 percent of his passes. In 2019 and 2020, he was intercepted on just one percent of his passes. However, in 2021 and 2022, his interception percentages ticked up.
In 2021, he threw an interception on two percent of his throws. In 2022, he threw an interception on 1.9 percent of his throws. While the mark is still beyond solid, the tick is a real one and leaves area for improvement. The trouble began before Tyreek Hill left the Kansas City Chiefs, so one cannot blame that loss alone. Will Mahomes "rebound" in 2023?
If any of the above quotes are used, please credit First Take and H/T Sportskeeda.