Even after a shaky season start, Chase Daniel insists Patrick Mahomes is still the undisputed king of the AFC quarterbacks.QQ
Mahomes is putting together his best season in years.
The Kansas City Chiefs might be 5-4 but one thing has stood out even during the team’s rollercoaster of a start. That would be Patrick Mahomes looking like the Patrick Mahomes of old.
Even when the Chiefs won a Super Bowl in the 2023 season, Mahomes and the offense weren’t their usual selves with Mahomes throwing just 27 touchdowns and a career-high 14 interceptions. The following year, Mahomes threw for a career-low (well, tied for a career-low) in touchdowns with 26 and tossed 11 picks.
It started to feel as though the days of the Chiefs winning behind Mahomes and an explosive offense were over but he’s put together an incredible season for Kansas City so far in 2025. The Chiefs signal-caller has thrown for 17 touchdowns and five picks in nine games this year while also adding four rushing scores with his legs.
When asked by Dan Patrick who the best quarterback in the AFC is this season (Patrick centered the question around if it was Drake Maye of the Patriots), Chase Daniel, who spent over a decade in the NFL as a backup quarterback, still said he’d have Mahomes in that conversation.
“In my opinion, right now it’s between Mahomes and Drake Maye and I would probably give you the nod to Drake Maye. The reason why I say Mahomes is that I know they’re 5-4 and I know they haven’t been good — They’ve been like 0-4 in one score games — is you just watch what he does on the film, right? It’s like 2021 2022 MVP Pat Mahomes,” Daniel said on The Dan Patrick Show.
Chase Daniel keeps Patrick Mahomes atop AFC QB list
It’s hard not to look at what Maye is doing in New England and not be impressed there though. He’s thrown for two more touchdowns than Mahomes and both guys have five interceptions thrown. Maye also has 2,555 yards to Mahomes’ 2,349 yards and his team is 8-2 while Mahomes’ is barely floating above .500.
At the end of the day though, championships talk and that’s why Mahomes will probably get the benefit of the doubt in the best quarterback in the AFC conversations and the MVP discussions as well. Until Maye shows he can win in the playoffs and get the Patriots to the Super Bowl, Mahomes is going to continue to lead the debates here, and for good reason.
