Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes leads NFL in passing yards, pacing to exceed MVP numbers

Mahomes is pacing to exceed his passing yardage numbers from his MVP season in 2018.

Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes has been the NFL’s passing yardage leader for a few weeks now, but in Week 14 he extended his lead. With 393 yards against the Miami Dolphins this past week, Mahomes now has 4,208 passing yards on the 2020 season. That number is good for nearly 450 more passing yards than the next-closest quarterback.

On the season, Mahomes is averaging 323.7 passing yards per game. Mahomes is also the NFL’s career passing yards per game leader with an average of 309.5 yards per game since 2017 according to Pro Football Reference.

USA TODAY SMG – Coley Cleary

At his current pace, Mahomes is looking to end the season with around 5,200 passing yards. That’s around 100 passing yards more than he recorded during his MVP season back in 2018. It’d certainly help Mahomes’ case for an MVP if he were able to exceed those numbers. He hurt himself a bit with the three-interception performance in Week 14.

Right now, Mahomes is in a dead heat with Aaron Rodgers for the NFL’s MVP race. Rodgers is tied for third in passing yardage with Russel Wilson, who both have 3,685 yards on the season. Rodgers leads the NFL in passing touchdowns (39), passer rating (119.7) and QB rating (84.9).

Mahomes is currently tied for fourth in the NFL in passing attempts with 497 yards on the season. The only quarterbacks that have dropped back to pass more are Ben Roethlisberger (521), Justin Herbert (499) and Matt Ryan (498). Mahomes has the second-most completions (340) in the league to only Roethlisberger (345). Rodgers has just 312 completions on 448 passing attempts.

Still, given how much both Green Bay and Kansas City rely on their quarterbacks to drop back and pass, the MVP race could come down to the wire. It could be determined by the slightest slip-up from either player.

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