The Kansas City Chiefs take their 6-7 record into a divisional matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 15.
Kansas City hasn’t had the same luck they had in one-possession games last season when they went 11-0 in those games. Their 1-6 record in those games this season is a testament to several factors like injuries and drops.
It hasn’t been because of star quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who would be bidding for his third Most Valuable Player award if the Chiefs were their regular selves.
Mahomes has completed 63.1 percent of his passes for 3,398 yards (third in National Football League), 22 touchdowns and 10 interceptions with a quarterback rating of 69.4 (fourth). He has also been an efficient runner, rushing for 407 yards (career-high) and four touchdowns on 62 carries through 13 games.
He has fallen out of the MVP conversation strictly because the team isn’t in a playoff spot, and it is becoming increasingly unlikely that they will make it into the playoffs.
“Mahomes was a controversial pick at the midway point of the season, owing mostly to his Chiefs having a 5-4 record,” ESPN’s Bill Barnwell wrote Thursday. “He wasn't the clear favorite in any specific category, but Mahomes consistently ranked among the league leaders in most metrics, was essentially tied with Maye for the league lead in cumulative EPA and had generated a surprising amount of value with his legs on scrambles. He had also been driving the offense to a greater extent than other candidates with better rate stats. I wouldn't have faulted anyone who preferred Maye or Stafford, but I ended up very slightly leaning Mahomes.
“With the Chiefs at 6-7, though, Mahomes would have to clearly be the best quarterback in the league this season to make up for his team's record. That hasn't been the case. The future Hall of Famer has pieced together excellent games, including a four-touchdown performance in the narrow loss to the Cowboys, but Sunday night's loss to the Texans was the third-worst start of Mahomes' career by Total QBR (19.6).”
Barnwell noted that Mahomes has had to deal with the second-most drops in the NFL from his receivers and that his scrambling factors into his QBR, but a near-perfect final four games and sneaking into the playoffs would put him back in the conversation.
But for now, Mahomes isn’t likely to be a finalist this season.