NFL players vote Patrick Mahomes Sporting News Offensive Player of the Year for 2018

Vinnie Iyer

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NFL players vote Patrick Mahomes Sporting News Offensive Player of the Year for 2018 image

Patrick Mahomes in 2018 had the best second-year breakout in NFL history. Given how he took pass defenses to school in his first year as the Chiefs' starting quarterback, the rest of the league's players took notice.​​

Mahomes has been voted Sporting News’ Offensive Player of the Year for 2018 based on a vote of his peers. If watching his jaw-dropping, playmaking exploits were not enough, one look at his astronomical numbers — 50 TD passes, 5,097 yards passing, 9.6 adjusted yards per attempt and 113.8 passer rating — allowed him to win in a landslide.

Mahomes joins previous SN OPOYs Tom Brady and Peyton Manning as only three members of the 50-TD club. At 23, Mahomes also becomes the youngest winner of the award — by two days — over Dan Marino in 1984. He is also the first Chiefs player to earn the distinction and the seventh native Texan, joining Y.A. Tittle, Earl Campbell, Eric Dickerson, Thurman Thomas, LaDainian Tomlinson and Adrian Peterson.

The Chiefs had high expectations for Mahomes after trading Alex Smith in the offseason, and Mahomes exceeded all of them with an explosive season. The No. 10 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft took Andy Reid’s offense to a new level with his big arm, deep ball, athleticism and improvisation.

More important, he led Kansas City to another AFC West title, matching first-round draft mates Mitchell Trubisky and Deshaun Watson as a division-winning QB in his second year.

In one season, Mahomes has filled a highlight reel that most QBs would dream to have over the course of an entire career. Whether he was throwing from within the pocket or firing while on the run, right-handed or left-handed, looking or not, Mahomes made his mark as the new face of the modern, RPO-crazy NFL.

There’s only one thing that could make Mahomes’ season better, and it’s something neither Brady nor Manning could complete after they won their respective SN OPOY awards in 2007 and 2013: Also win the Super Bowl. By setting the bar so high right away, Mahomes should win this award several times in his career.

Offensive Player of the Year voting results

1. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Chiefs
2. Drew Brees, QB, Saints
3. Todd Gurley, RB, Rams
T4. Philip Rivers, QB, Chargers
T4. Antonio Brown, WR, Steelers

Vinnie Iyer

Vinnie Iyer Photo

Vinnie Iyer, has been with TSN since 1999, not long after graduating from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. He has produced NFL content for more than 20 years, turning his attention to full-time writing in 2007. A native of St. Louis, Mo. but now a long-time resident of Charlotte, N.C. Vinnie’s top two professional sports teams are Cardinals and Blues, but he also carries purple pride for all things Northwestern Wildcats. He covers every aspect of the NFL for TSN including player evaluations, gambling and fantasy football, where he is a key contributor. Vinnie represents TSN as host of the “Locked On Fantasy Football” podcast on the Locked On network. Over his many years at TSN, he’s also written about MLB, NBA, NASCAR, college football, tennis, horse racing, film and television. His can’t-miss program remains “Jeopardy!”, where he was once a three-day champion and he is still avid about crossword puzzles and trivia games. When not watching sports or his favorite game show, Vinnie is probably watching a DC, Marvel or Star Wars-related TV or movie.