Arrowheadlines: Patrick Mahomes no longer the clear favorite to win MVP

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Joe Burrow Joins Top 3 in NFL MVP Odds, Peter King’s Rankings After Win vs. Mahomes | Bleacher Report

Patrick Mahomes’ stranglehold on his second MVP award loosened in Week 13, and the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback dropped to +125 odds (bet $100 to win $125) following Sunday’s loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. DraftKings Sportsbook had Mahomes as an overwhelming -160 favorite heading into the weekend.

Joe Burrow saw his MVP odds slashed by more than half, going from +1400 to +600 after outdueling Mahomes for the second time in less than a year. Burrow threw for 286 yards and two touchdowns and added a score on the ground in the Bengals’ 27-24 win.

Cincinnati held Mahomes to a season-low 223 passing yards and two touchdowns (one passing, one rushing). He has only thrown two passing touchdowns over the past two weeks.

Meanwhile, a monster performance from Jalen Hurts in Sunday’s win over the Tennessee Titans has the Eagles quarterback on Mahomes’ heels. Hurts threw for 380 yards and three touchdowns while adding 12 yards and a score on the ground. He sits at +175 odds to hoist his first MVP.

Five Quick Facts About the Chiefs’ Week 13 Loss to Cincinnati | Upon Further Review | The Mothership

2. The combination of running backs Isiah Pacheco and Jerick McKinnon was strong.

Another reason behind the Chiefs’ ability to fight back from that early deficit on Sunday was the collective performance of tailbacks Isiah Pacheco and Jerick McKinnon. The two players combined for 117 rushing yards on Sunday, averaging 5.3 yards-per-carry between them.

Specifically, Pacheco rushed for a team-most 66 yards and a touchdown on 14 attempts. It marked Pacheco’s fourth-straight game with at least 60 rushing yards. In fact, since Week 10, Pacheco ranks fifth in the NFL with 324 yards on the ground. McKinnon, meanwhile, racked up 51 rushing yards on just eight attempts. Additionally, both players made an impact in the passing game, too. Pacheco had two receptions for 16 yards while McKinnon hauled in two grabs for nine yards and a touchdown.

The performance of both players helped Kansas City record its fourth-highest rushing total (138 yards) of the season.

Winners and Losers of NFL Week 13 | The Ringer

The Chiefs are a league-best 59-18 since Mahomes took over as starting QB in 2018; if we include the playoffs, they’ve beaten 29 of the 31 other teams in the league. (They’re 0-1 against the Seahawks and haven’t played the Vikings.) There’s only one team they have lost to three times since Mahomes took over: the Bengals. And they’ve lost all three since 2022 started, and led all of them in the second half by at least a touchdown.

J. J. Watt Helps Suggest an Alternative to Patrick Mahomes’ Fear From Collapsing With Knee Dislocation | Essentially Sports

Arizona Cardinals defensive end J. J. Watt was not happy to see TCU Horned Frogs ignore the most obvious quarterback sneak in their overtime loss to Kansas State in their NCAA matchup. “QB Sneak is the single most difficult play to stop for 1 yard or less.”

“Especially when you add pushers from behind into the equation. Will never understand taking the ball 5+ yards away from the line of scrimmage to try and gain 1 yard. At any level,” Watt tweeted. Pat Mahomes shared his thought on that.

“Got to watch your kneecaps tho,” the youngest Super Bowl MVP in NFL history retweeted. Patrick Mahomes dislocated his kneecap because of a QB sneak in 2020. But surprised the entire world when he returned only a few weeks after.

Former Chiefs LT Eric Fisher to sign with Dolphins | Chiefs Wire

The Kansas City Chiefs’ No. 1 overall draft pick in the 2013 NFL draft is officially back in the league.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Miami Dolphins are signing former Chiefs LT Eric Fisher to their roster. This comes after injuries to both starting LT Terron Armstead and starting RT Austin Jackson, the latter being placed on injured reserve in a corresponding move with Fisher’s signing. Fisher played the majority of his career at the left tackle position in Kansas City, including starting Super Bowl LIV, but he played the right tackle position during his rookie season with the Chiefs.

Around the NFL

Tom Brady leads record 44th fourth-quarter comeback to propel Buccaneers past Saints: ‘Just like we drew it up’ | NFL.com

Often looking frustrated on the field and sideline as passes were dropped and drives went awry, Tom Brady and his Buccaneers faced a seemingly insurmountable 13-point deficit with 5:21 to play.

That’s when vintage Brady took the field, captaining yet another comeback for the ages as he threw two touchdown passes in the final three minutes to lead the Buccaneers past the New Orleans Saints, 17-16, on Monday Night Football.

“Just like we drew it up,” Brady said as he opened his postgame news conference, eliciting a round of laughs. “Just like we drew it up.”

It was Brady’s NFL-record 44th career fourth-quarter comeback, breaking a tie with Peyton Manning for the most in history, according to NFL Research. Brady — who finished the evening 36-of-54 for 281 yards, two touchdowns and an interception — connected with rookie tight end Cade Otton with three minutes to go, leading to a 16-10 Buccaneers deficit. After Tampa Bay’s defense held New Orleans to a second straight three-and-out, Brady capped a game-winning drive with a 6-yard game-tying touchdown toss to Rachaad White with only three seconds remaining. A play later, kicker Ryan Succop converted the game-winning extra point.

“It was a great route by Rachaad,” Brady said. “Great catch. [Offensive coordinator] Byron [Leftwich] made a great call.”

Panthers to release Baker Mayfield after seven games with team; former No. 1 overall pick subject to waivers | CBS Sports

The Carolina Panthers are moving on from the quarterback they traded for just five months ago, as Baker Mayfield is set to be released on Monday, confirmed by CBS Sports NFL Insider Josina Anderson. Mayfield will be subject to waivers.

The Panthers sent the Cleveland Browns a conditional 2024 fifth-round pick in exchange for Mayfield. The fifth-round pick could have converted to a fourth-rounder based on playing time, but with his release, that will not happen. Mayfield was originally due a fully guaranteed $18.85 million in the final year of his rookie deal. The Browns agreed to pay Mayfield $10.5 million in 2022, while the Panthers agreed to pay about $5 million. Mayfield also reportedly agreed to take about a $3.5 million pay cut in order to be moved.

Mayfield got the start at quarterback to begin the year, but a high ankle sprain suffered in Week 5 knocked him out of the lineup. He went 1-5 as the starter for Carolina, and completed 57.8 percent of his passes for 1,313 yards, six touchdowns and six interceptions in seven total games played. The Panthers will move forward with Sam Darnold as the starting quarterback, and P.J. Walker as his backup.

Ravens say QB Lamar Jackson ‘week-to-week’ with knee injury | ESPN

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is “week-to-week” with a knee injury after undergoing MRIs on Monday, coach John Harbaugh said.

“As the week goes on, we’ll see for this week,” Harbaugh said. “It’s probably less likely for this week, but it’s not impossible. Then, after that, it’ll become more and more likely.”

If Jackson is sidelined this week, backup Tyler Huntley would start for the Ravens (8-4), who play at the Pittsburgh Steelers (5-7) on Sunday. Huntley is 1-3 as a starter, throwing two touchdowns and four interceptions.

In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride

6 winners and 10 losers from the Chiefs’ loss to the Bengals

Losers

Safety Justin Reid: It wasn’t just Reid, but tackling issues were a big factor in the loss — and when he had a shot, No. 20 was certainly struggling to bring down the Bengals’ skill players. He was also late or out of position when the corners needed help over the top — especially in the final drive, when the defense had to get a stop. Reid also wasn’t able to get home when blitzing. Instead, he seemed to dance with the offensive tackles instead of just running past them. When you talk during the week, you’d better back it up on Sunday. Reid didn’t.

Safety Juan Thornhill, cornerback L’Jarius Sneed and linebacker Nick Bolton: All three of these guys were also part of the tackling problem. They failed to wrap up ball carriers or grabbed ankles — which allowed additional yardage. But these are also the guys we’d count on for big defensive plays. When Cincinnati was driving — especially late in the game — the Chiefs needed someone to get an interception, a forced fumble or a sack on a blitz. They didn’t come through. Instead, they — and the rest of the defense — looked like passive victims of an opponent that couldn’t be stopped. In order to win in the postseason, these three guys will have to make big plays.

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