Where is Patrick Mahomes after OT win?

You can either be afraid of losing or afraid of winning games in the NFL.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles may have been the latter, as he was unable to work for the two-point conversion in the final seconds of regulation against Patrick Mahomes, coach Andy Reid and the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football.

Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield reacted promptly, looking up at the sky in disbelief after Mahomes and the Chiefs won the overtime coin toss before leading the game-winning touchdown drive, securing the 30-24 win without the Tampa Bay offense saw the field again.

“Given the wet conditions on the pitch, we wanted to go to extra time. We thought we had to go to overtime instead of going for two,” Bowles said after the game.

In the same wet conditions, Tampa Bay scored a touchdown before hitting the extra point to tie the game?

When will NFL coaches ever learn?

Bowles’ decision to force overtime cost the Bucs a chance at an upset win over the two-time defending Super Bowl champions. Instead, Mahomes and the Chiefs remain undefeated to bolster his reputation as the 2024-2025 NFL MVP.

But where does Mahomes rank in USA TODAY Sports’ NFL MVP rankings after Week 9?

5. Commanders QB Jayden Daniels, inventory down

Maybe we were a little overzealous and put Daniels No. 1 last week after his Hail Mary touchdown pass. Or perhaps the game-winning play in Week 8 was so electrifying that Daniels’ Week 9 performance felt overblown.

Daniels was 15 of 22 for 209 yards with two touchdown passes to Terry McLaurin and led another touchdown drive in a 27-22 win against the New York Giants on Sunday. Washington sits atop the NFC East at 7-2 for the first time since 1996.

Daniels has the third-best QBR in the NFL and the fifth-best passer rating. He is undoubtedly the favorite to win Offensive Rookie of the Year. Washington has 27 touchdowns (sixth in the NFL) and leads the league with 15 rushing touchdowns.

But Daniels’ nine touchdown passes this season can’t quite keep up with the rest of the MVP competition – causing him to slip to No. 5 on our list.

4. Bills QB Josh Allen, stock up

Allen moves up one spot in our MVP rankings after throwing three second-half touchdowns and leading the game-winning field goal charge in the win over the Dolphins last week.

It was a comeback win for the Bills, who trailed 10-6 at halftime and may have already locked up the AFC East in Week 9. That’s worthy praise for his MVP rating.

Allen is tied for fourth with 17 touchdown passes and has the fourth-best QBR and sixth-best QB rating this season. He also threw just his second interception of the season last week.

Allen and the Bills are tied for third with 31 touchdowns and continue to beat worse teams than them this season.

Mahomes moves up one spot in our MVP rankings after throwing two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter and leading the game-winning touchdown drive in overtime that helped the Chiefs overcome a 17-10 deficit and remain undefeated to stay.

Mahomes’ stats keep him out of the lead after Week 9: He’s sixth with 11 touchdown passes, sixth with a completion percentage of 69.9 and has the sixth-best QBR (67.6). His 242.8 yards per game is 10^Thwhile his 1,942 passing yards rank 14th^Th.

Another plus is that Mahomes no longer leads the NFL in interceptions. He remains at nine after Week 9, but Jordan Love and Geno Smith have ten each.

Still, Mahomes, leading the only undefeated team in the NFL, continues to strengthen his push for his third MVP.

2. Lions QB Jared Goff, equivalent

Goff remains at No. 2 for the third straight week after another efficient performance: He completed his first 11 passes and finished 18 of 22 for 145 yards and a touchdown in a 24-14 win over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.

Goff’s MVP case is strengthened by this stat: He has completed 82.8% of his passes in his last six games for a passer rating of 140.1 – the best marks in NFL history through six games. He also added 13 touchdown passes with just one interception in Detroit’s 6-0 win.

It’s clear that Detroit is the best team in the NFC: The Lions are 7-1 for the first time since 1956 and have scored 32 touchdowns, tied for second in the NFL.

Goff is the most accurate quarterback in the NFL with a completion percentage of 74.9 and has the second-best passer rating (115.0). But his QBR of 58.7 ranks 14th^Th.

Jackson is back at No. 1 in our MVP rankings after his performance on Sunday, when he threw for 280 yards and three touchdowns with a perfect passer rating in Baltimore’s 41-10 win over the Denver Broncos.

It was the fourth time in his career that Jackson posted a passer rating of 158.3. He’s done that more times in the Super Bowl era than Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Kurt Warner and Ben Roethlisberger.

Jackson has the best passer rating (120.7) and QBR (77.3) in the NFL. He is second in the NFL with 20 touchdown passes. And the Ravens lead the NFL with 34 touchdowns this season.

The Ravens may be 6-3, but the MV3 chants are loud in Baltimore in hopes of Jackson’s third NFL MVP.

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5. Commanders QB Jayden Daniels, inventory down

4. Bills QB Josh Allen, stock up

2. Lions QB Jared Goff, equivalent

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