Uncharted Territory: Forget Chasing Tom Brady— Patrick Mahomes Might Not Even Be QB1 in Today’s NFL

The Kansas City Chiefs entered the season as Super Bowl favourites. Now, they sit at 5–5 and are in real danger of missing the postseason for the first time since 2014, and the first time in the Patrick Mahomes era.

For a franchise that has been the most dominant in all of sports since the Golden State Warriors’ dynasty run in the NBA, this is uncharted territory. Their latest loss to the Denver Broncos not only dropped them to .500, but also created a significant uphill battle in the AFC West race.

The Broncos are 9–2. The Chargers are 7–4. And Kansas City has already lost to both.

And as we enter mid-November, just a couple weeks away from American Thanksgiving, the Chiefs are not even in a playoff spot. While their schedule the rest of the way is favourable—and yes, they should still get in—we’ve reached a point where some uncomfortable conversations need to happen.

For years, fans and analysts debated Patrick Mahomes’ trajectory compared to Tom Brady’s. Could Mahomes catch him? Could he surpass him? Was he on track to become the greatest quarterback ever?

At this moment, that conversation has to stop.

This isn’t a one-year dip. Since the Chiefs’ Super Bowl 57 victory, Mahomes’ regular-season play has been trending downward:

• 2022 (Super Bowl 57 season): MVP season.

• 2023: The Chiefs won the Super Bowl again, but they were 11–6 and Mahomes spent most of the year looking… off. Drops by wide receivers were blamed, but the inconsistency was real.

• 2024: Kansas City went 15–2, but an astonishing 11–0 record but there was a reason he was never truly in the MVP conversation.

• This year: The turnovers are piling up, especially in the red zone, something that was unimaginable from him 3–4 years ago.

And while a few years ago we blamed his lack of weapons, we cannot do that anymore. Xavier Worthy has been everything they hoped for since drafting him in 2024, Rashee Rice has been dominant since returning in Week 7, and Travis Kelce looks significantly better than he did in 2024.

Yet Mahomes is making uncharacteristic mistakes: 99-yard pick-sixes, late-game red-zone interceptions, and momentum-killing turnovers that simply weren’t part of his game during his prime.

Because of that, we truly do need to question if he is still the best quarterback in the league today. Because when you look across the league, the quarterback talent pool has never been deeper. Just look at guys like Josh Allen, Drake Maye and Matthew Stafford who are fronting the current MVP Race. Those three have simply been better than Mahomes this season.

Just think, if someone had never watched the NFL before this year—and you showed them only 2024 or 2025 game tape—they would probably think it's no question that Josh Allen is the more dominant quarterback compared to Mahomes.

Even for longtime Mahomes believers, this is the first moment where it is genuinely fair to ask, is Patrick Mahomes still undeniably the best quarterback in the NFL?

To be clear, if you asked me which quarterback I'd want leading my franchise in a do-or-die situation, I'd still take Patrick Mahomes. His playoff résumé remains unmatched among active players. But regular-season Mahomes—week to week—has slipped. And that matters.

I think for the first time in his career, Mahomes actually has something to prove again.

So could Kansas City win the Super Bowl this season? Absolutely.

The Chiefs have a history of proving doubters wrong and going on to winning championships. Their coaching is still elite and they have all the experience in the world.

But until Mahomes regains the form he once showed every single week, the conversation must change. This is no longer a player we can automatically crown as the league’s best.

Tom Brady did not consistently put his team in positions to lose games. His production did not trend downward year after year. And he did not make repeated high-leverage mistakes in the red zone.

Mahomes, right now, is doing all three.