Kansas City Chiefs superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes was named the ESPY winner for this season’s Best NFL player, topping Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey and Cleveland Browns edge-rusher Myles Garrett.
Mahomes said he was grateful to receive the award:
ESPN also announced that Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani won the Best MLB Player award:
Mahomes, 28, didn’t have his best statistical season in 2023 (4,183 yards, 27 touchdowns, 14 interceptions), in part because of a wideout group that struggled to catch the ball. But he was brilliant yet again in the playoffs, leading the Chiefs to four straight wins and a third title in the past five years while throwing for 1,051 yards, six touchdowns and just one pick.
He has entered the Tom Brady and Joe Montana pantheon of “Guys you want with the ball in your hands with the game on the line.”
That playoff performance likely pushed him over the top of Jackson, who was the NFL’s MVP last season. All he did was throw for 3,678 yards, 24 touchdowns and seven interceptions while rushing for 821 yards and another five scores.
But Jackson’s Ravens lost to the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game, another postseason disappointment for the star quarterback.
McCaffrey was also a victim to Mahomes and the Chiefs, albeit in the Super Bowl. The star running back put up epic numbers in 2023, however, with 1,459 yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground and 67 catches for 564 yards and another seven scores through the air.
Running backs don’t tend to win major awards over quarterbacks, however.
Neither do defensive lineman. Garrett was fearsome last season nonetheless, registering 14 sacks, 17 tackles for loss, 30 quarterback hits, four forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. It was his sixth straight season with double-digit sacks.
But it wasn’t enough to best Mahomes at the ESPYs.