Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes throws the ball against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

PFF explains surprisingly low Week 1 rating for Patrick Mahomes

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Larry Brown | Last updated 9/12/22

Patrick Mahomes had a stellar Week 1 and was a runaway top performer to open the NFL season by most accounts. Pretty much everyone agreed that the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback had a standout performance. Everyone except those doing the film grading at Pro Football Focus.

PFF is an excellent site that grades every player each week during the NFL season based on film reviews. Mahomes went 30-for-39 for 360 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions in a 44-21 win over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. He played great, but PFF rated him as having the 8th-best performance of Week 1.

PFF's highest-graded QBs in Week 1 so far

1. Josh Allen – 91.5
2. Kirk Cousins – 85.1
3. Ryan Tannehill – 81.1
4. Justin Herbert – 79.8
5. Jameis Winston – 79.6
6. Lamar Jackson – 76.8
6. Jalen Hurts – 76.8
8. Patrick Mahomes – 71.5
9. Tom Brady – 70.0
10. Davis Mills – 68.1

— Jarad Evans (@PFF_Jarad) September 12, 2022

After receiving questions about the rating for Mahomes, PFF’s Sam Monson defended the grade.

It is, but it's acknowledging things like an underhand toss TD is not a particularly taxing QB play.

Or a coverage bust in the end zone that left a RB uncovered in the flat for a TD.

Mahomes was great, but he wasn't as good as the box score suggests he was.

— Sam Monson (@PFF_Sam) September 12, 2022

“Mahomes was great, but he wasn’t as good as the box score suggests he was,” Monson said.

It’s hard to buy that logic. Sure, Josh Allen, Kirk Cousins and Justin Herbert all played at very high levels. But to grade Ryan Tannehill, Jameis Winston and Lamar Jackson all ahead of Mahomes for the week seems very much like nitpicking.

Mahomes may have an eye on surpassing the 5,097 yards and 50 touchdowns he threw for in 2018, when he won NFL MVP.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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