July often marks a pause in NFL activities, lying between the draft and training camps. This period, typically, sees recycled discussions, most notably the debate over whether Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs or Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills holds the title of the best player in the league.
This week, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler released his annual quarterback rankings. These rankings draw from surveys of NFL coaches, executives, and scouts. In a shift from last year, Allen secured the top spot, followed by Mahomes at No. 2.
Mahomes is known for using any slight as motivation, akin to Michael Jordan. Yet, publicly, the two-time NFL MVP seems unfazed by his current No. 2 position. Reflecting on this, Mahomes commented on ‘Yahoo! Sports Daily’: “I mean, you understand it, coming off injury. We didn’t play as well as we wanted to the last few years. You’re gonna drop in the rankings of some sort, but at the same time, there’s a lot of good quarterbacks on that list. I’m just happy to be a part of it. You have to go out and prove it every single year, so it’s my job this year to prove why I can jump up in the list back to No. 1.”
Last December, Mahomes suffered from a torn ACL and LCL, necessitating season-ending surgery. This injury marked a challenging period for the Chiefs, who, following three consecutive Super Bowl appearances, concluded a disappointing season with a 6-11 record. This season was the first time the Chiefs missed the playoffs since 2014.
A pivotal moment in the Chiefs’ 2025 season happened in Week 9 when they faced the Bills. Before this encounter, Kansas City had a 5-3 record, while Buffalo stood at 5-2. The Bills defeated the Chiefs 28-21, after which Kansas City managed just one win in eight games. This regular-season win added to Allen’s favorable regular-season record against Mahomes, standing at 5-1. However, Mahomes remains undefeated against Allen in playoff matches, with a 4-0 record.
During his conversation with Yahoo!, Mahomes shared his recovery goal: “My goal in my injury recovery is to start Week 1 against the Denver Broncos.” He is expected to regain full strength by Thanksgiving, when the Chiefs are scheduled to visit Buffalo.