KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Patrick Mahomes’ spot in NFL Network’s Top 100 players took many by surprise. The Super Bowl MVP was ranked fourth, as voted on by players.
But many Chiefs fans, sports commentators and, in particular, his teammates, do not agree.
“I think he’s the best player in the National Football League. You can’t tell me there’s a better quarterback than him, that’s for sure,” tight end Travis Kelce said.
“In my eyes, he’s the best player in the league, but I mean, I’m not voting,” linebacker Anthony Hitchens said. “I know Pat. He’s just going to get better and better. This is motivation for him, which not that he really needs more.”
But being honest, Kelce said they don’t put a lot of stock in the Top 100 poll.
“It’s TV land. I don’t want to harp on what happens in TV land, but everybody has their opinions and everybody has their favorites,” he said. “So it is what it is.”
Like others, safety Tyrann Mathieu questioned when and how players vote.
“You know, we don’t watch that much TV, so when we do, we kind of get caught up on whoever ESPN is saying is having a really good season,” he said.
“And to be honest, most of the time when we vote for this, it’s after practice and we don’t really want to be there. So we kind of look around and ask, ‘Hey, who’s having a good season?'”
He said voting before practice might increase the chances that players put a little more thought into it.
Of course, the Honey Badger said there’s a fun side to it, but obviously not everyone likes where they get ranked.
But in the end, the Top 100 results don’t matter. Wins matter — and fresh off a Super Bowl championship, Mahomes and the Chiefs have plenty of those.
“He’s the best player in the National Football League in my mind,” Kelce said. “He led us to a Super Bowl because he’s that.”
