Patrick Mahomes, through eight games of the 2025 season, has emerged as the strong favorite to win his third regular-season NFL MVP award.
If the Kansas City Chiefs future Hall of Fame quarterback does win the league’s most important individual honor, he would join an exclusive club of all-time greats. Only six players — Jim Brown, Johnny Unitas, Brett Favre, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers — have won at least an MVP three times.
With his three Super Bowl rings in the modern era, Mahomes has already reached legendary status with his legacy. Although the ’25 Chiefs are 5-3 so far, they are still in third place in the AFC West and would be only the No. 7 seed in the AFC playoffs, if those games began in Week 9. Everyone, however, can see Kansas City is about to stay on a Mahomes-led tear through the second half of the season.
With Mahomes back to elite play, the Chiefs are once again consensus favorites to win Super Bowl 60. Here’s how Mahomes’ numbers this season stack up with his previous two MVP campaigns in 2018 and 2022:
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Patrick Mahomes’ 2025 stats vs. 2018, 2022
Mahomes’ 2018 season, his second in the NFL and first as a full-time starter for the Chiefs, will be difficult to duplicate at any point during the rest of the year. He set an all-time single-season standard that has been high for Mahomes or anyone else to match.
| Statistic | Mahomes in ’25 | Mahomes in ’22 | Mahomes in ’18 |
| Passing yards per game | 262.1 | 308.8 | 318.6 |
| Passing YPA | 7.4 | 8.1 | 8.8 |
| Completion % | 67.0 | 67.1 | 66.0 |
| Passing TDs | 36 (pace) | 41 | 50 |
| Interceptions | 9 (pace) | 12 | 12 |
| Passer rating | 103.1 | 105.2 | 113.8 |
| Rushing yards per game | 35 | 21.1 | 17.0 |
| Rushing YPA | 6.1 | 5.9 | 4.5 |
| Rushing TDs | 9 (pace) | 4 | 2 |
Mahomes was his best as a passer in ’18, but since then, 2022 had been his best statistical season. With 2023 and 2024 being considered down (and by the numbers, they were), 2025 has been a huge rebound back to super stellar play.
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Since ’21, another MVP-caliber season with both wide receiver Tyreek Hill and tight end Travis Kelce in their prime, Mahomes hasn’t had this level of weaponry, between Kelce and rising young wide receivers Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy. The Chiefs also have great receiving depth and more big-play potential behind them with Hollywood Brown, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Tyquan Thornton.
There is, however, an obvious, unique twist to Mahomes’ latest MVP push: His running. He has never been this active and aggressive, taking off to produce with his legs through the red zone. He is set up to shatter his career high, on pace for 595 yards with those 9 TDs. He is also averaging a career-high 6 rushing attempts per game.
Josh Allen, Baker Mayfield and others are also vying for MVP. Allen has the stronger statistical case vs. Mahomes for ’25 than Mayfield. Mahomes’ team, however, is surging at the right time. His third MVP might come down to how he and the Chiefs fare in a Week 9 road game vs. Allen in Buffalo. Kansas City’s other marquee second-half game comes at home against now 7-1 Indianapolis in Week 12.
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There’s no doubt when there’s no standout option for MVP and Mahomes has the worthy numbers, he defaults to being the favorite. If he continues this level of play, it would be difficult to deny him entry to the three-MVP club.
