Few players in football carry as much weight as Patrick Mahomes. Every throw he makes gets measured and debated by many fans. Rankings turn that attention into a weekly scoreboard for the league’s top quarterbacks.
Not every ranking tells quite the same story, though. Some lists reward recent results while others lean on scouting reports or career history. That is why one headline rarely captures where a star truly stands.
Why Mahomes sits atop PFF rankings
Pro Football Focus placed Mahomes first in its Week 5 quarterback rankings. The Chiefs beat the Raiders 30-27 on the road. Kansas City stayed unbeaten at 4-0 this season.
Mahomes has piled up 1,037 passing yards and 9 touchdowns through 4 games. He also finished the Raiders game without an interception. That mix of production and ball security helps explain the praise he gets.
PFF credits him with a 6.7% big-time throw rate that leads the league. His 1.3% turnover-worthy play rate is the fourth-lowest mark in the NFL. Those marks show bold throws without much waste.
The ranking that disagrees with PFF
Not every list agrees. CBS Sports placed Mahomes second in its Week 5 quarterback power rankings because Brock Purdy’s hot start kept Mahomes out of the top spot. That shows how tight the race is.
CBS writer Garrett Podell says no one throws better outside the pocket. Mahomes leads the league with 23 completions there. He also ties Aaron Rodgers for the lead in touchdown passes, with 5 apiece there.
Podell also notes Mahomes ranks in the top 10 in virtually every key passing metric. Only Purdy’s huge opening stretch holds him back. Without that run, Mahomes would be back in the top spot now.
How Mahomes bounced back from injury
Last season ended in real pain for Mahomes. He tore his ACL and LCL in Week 15 against the Chargers. The Chiefs finished 6-11 and missed the playoffs that year.
Before the injury, Mahomes had already set career highs in rushing production. He also topped 3,500 passing yards for the 8th straight season, a run that began in 2018 with the Chiefs.
The NFL Top 100 list for 2026 placed Mahomes at No. 18. That was a 13-spot drop from No. 5 and his lowest rank since 2022. It fit a rough year for Kansas City.
A statement win against the Colts
Mahomes made his return from the torn ACL and LCL against the Broncos. He threw for 184 yards and 2 touchdowns with 1 interception. It was a quiet start to his comeback season.
Then came the Colts on Sunday Night Football. Mahomes completed 32 of 47 passes for 382 yards and 3 touchdowns. Kansas City won 33-30 in overtime, and he avoided any interceptions all night.
That performance showed how quickly Mahomes could still change a game. It also gave Kansas City an early-season boost after a difficult 2025 campaign ended with his knee injury and a missed postseason.
Little-known fact: Mahomes comes from a sports family. His father, Pat, pitched 11 seasons in Major League Baseball. Patrick was drafted as a pitcher out of high school and also suited up for Texas Tech baseball.
What analysts said after Week 2
FanSided ranked all 32 starters after Week 2 and said Mahomes looked just like himself again. Last year’s Chiefs struggled for reasons that went far beyond their quarterback. That context helps explain his sharp turnaround.
Kansas City also restored its rushing attack and the team beefed up its offensive line. Those moves let Mahomes use all of his unique tools. Support like that makes a big difference for any passer.
The writer also called him the most trustworthy and proven quarterback in the league. 16 weeks remained at that point. The writer said a climb back up the rankings would not shock anyone at all.
Preseason doubts before the hot start
Bleacher Report published its NFL 1000 quarterback rankings on Aug. 3. Mahomes landed fourth behind Matthew Stafford, Josh Allen and Justin Herbert as the site questioned whether he would return to form during the 2026 season.
The scouting report pointed to concerns from the 2025 season and his recovery from a torn ACL. It framed the injury and his recent regression as reasons other quarterbacks had moved ahead of him entering 2026.
Still, the evaluators made it clear that Mahomes remains one of football’s most gifted players. The ranking shows how quickly the quarterback hierarchy can change. Weeks later, PFF had him first in its Week 5 list.
A respected analyst had him 4th
Doubt about Mahomes is not new. Analyst Chris Simms ranked him fourth entering the 2025 season and shared that view on his show Chris Simms Unbuttoned. Many still see him as the NFL’s best passer.
Mahomes was entering his 9th season in the National Football League. He had been the Chiefs starter since 2018. Kansas City had little reason to worry about the quarterback position for a good long while.
Simms said he loves Mahomes and it hurt to rank him so low. A top five finish is nothing to be ashamed of. Still, it is hard not to think of Mahomes as the best.
Where he stands among the greats
Bleacher Report ranked the top 99 quarterbacks of all time on Feb. 17. Mahomes came in fourth behind Tom Brady, Joe Montana and Peyton Manning. Aaron Rodgers landed fifth just behind him on the list.
Mahomes owns 2 MVP awards and 3 Super Bowl titles. His career win percentage of 75.4% matched Brady’s mark on the B/R list and topped the listed marks for Manning and Montana.
He also had 6 Pro Bowl trips and 2 All-Pro honors in that ranking. A strong 2026 season could shape future debates, but B/R’s February list still placed Brady, Montana and Manning ahead of him.
TL;DR
- PFF ranked Mahomes first after Week 5, with the Chiefs unbeaten.
- CBS Sports had him second behind Brock Purdy.
- He returned from a torn ACL and LCL after missing the end of last season.
- Preseason lists had him as low as fourth, and the NFL Top 100 had him at No. 18.
- He ranks fourth on Bleacher Report’s all-time quarterback list.
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This article was made with AI assistance and human editing.
