Why Mahomes, Chiefs Continue To Serve As NFL’s Thermostat

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Patrick Mahomes will be No. 3 in Super Bowl conversations this week, and in case you hadn’t heard, he’s not playing in the game.

For the first time since 2021, Mahomes and the Chiefs are home on Super Bowl Sunday. But Mahomes is the thermostat, setting the narrative temperature for the rest of the league’s quarterbacks, including Drake Maye in Sunday’s Super Bowl.

drake may — New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye at the New England Patriots Super Bowl LX sendoff rally for the team at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026. Maye will be making his first Super Bowl appearance on Sunday, Feb. 8. | Marc Vasconcellos/The Enterprise / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

“Yeah, I think we have to appreciate how big this game is and how outsized our reaction will be to this game,” former NFL veteran Domonique Foxworth said on Monday’s edition of Get Up. “If Drake Maye plays incredibly well in this game and wins the Super Bowl … he then enters the conversation of Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson.

“I get that he doesn't have the same track record, but I think we have to understand that having an MVP-caliber season followed by Super Bowl MVP-caliber game, I think there's no other reason to compare him to Jayden Daniels and Caleb Williams.”

If Maye separates himself from quarterbacks in his 2024 draft class, the gap between Maye and Mahomes – fairly or unfairly – will narrow significantly. Mahomes won league MVP in his second NFL season (his first year as the starter, 2018), and followed that with MVP honors in Super Bowl 54. So, if Maye this week wins both awards (he’s expected to finish runner-up to Matthew Stafford at Thursday’s NFL Honors), let the comparisons begin.

But Mahomes still sets the temperature in the NFL’s quarterback room. With parity at an all-time high, he steered the Chiefs to five Super Bowls over a six-year span – with three victories. He also secured the NFL’s first back-to-back world championships since the Patriots in 2003-04.

kingsbury, daniel — Aug 25, 2024; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Kill Kingsbury watches Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) warm up before the game against the New England Patriots at Commanders Field. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images | Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

The Jayden Daniels example

The other feather in Mahomes’ helmet is Jayden Daniels. A year ago, the league was buzzing about Washington’s fantastic signal-caller, who led the Commanders to the NFC championship game as a rookie.

A year later, after Daniels endured an injury-plagued season Washington finished 5-12, Dan Quinn fired offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury.

“The lesson there,” insider Dan Graziano said, “is about how much importance we put on this one game and playoff success. But that, unfortunately or fortunately, that's how quarterbacks sort of get stamped. And I think if Drake Maye wins this Super Bowl, Patrick Mahomes won MVP and the Super Bowl in his second season. Lamar Jackson was MVP in his second season.”

“So, we will have the conversation a week from this morning, if he wins, ‘Can they do it again? Is it a new dynasty?’ Last year's Commanders, as you point out, are a good example of why we need to check ourselves.”

brady, mahome — Feb 7, 2021; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (left) greets Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes following Super Bowl LV at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Mahomes is the reason everyone needs to check their narratives. Until 2025, which wound up as the worst season of his career, Mahomes had shown arguably more career consistency than any quarterback other than Tom Brady.

And even when Mahomes gets blown out in the Super Bowl, like last season, he’s still the thermometer. Exhibit A for that is Jalen Hurts in Philadelphia.

The Jalen Hurts example

“Every other year, Jalen Hurts is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL,” said Mike Greenberg, “and then in the other years, he's the problem, right? So, when he goes to the Super Bowl and out plays Patrick Mahomes, he's a top-five quarterback in the league. And then, the following year, he's not good. And the conversation is, ‘Well, he's the reason. He's what's holding back the Eagles’ offense. The whole world has now gone in this direction.”

Another factor in boosting Maye to a Mahomes level is primetime games. The league awarded the Patriots with four primetime contests in 2025, despite their 4-13 record in Maye’s rookie season. New England consistently draws impressive television ratings, like Mahomes and the Chiefs. Expect more Maye appearances in primetime next season.

Still, Mahomes sets the temperature for Maye, Hurts and any other quarterback that enters the conversation. Just look at Hurts in 2022, when he lost a Super Bowl thriller, 38-35, to the Chiefs.

“Jalen Hurts had an MVP-caliber season and played well in the Super Bowl that they lost,” Foxworth said, “but then didn't follow it. So, you're right. You have to follow it up with something. But as we enter next season, this game, we talk about how those island games, Monday night and Thursday night, Sunday night games, really impact the way we think about players.

“There's no more islandy game than the Super Bowl. It's all by itself, and then we have the whole offseason. The last image we have in our mind is of Drake Maye having an MVP-caliber season and then throwing four touchdowns and beating the great Seahawks defense.”

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