The Kansas City Chiefs’ dynasty was put on hold last weekend, with a loss to the Chargers and a torn ACL and LCL for Patrick Mahomes. Not solely will the real-life playoffs transfer ahead with out the Chiefs for the first time since 2014, however the fantasy football playoffs transfer alongside with out Mahomes, the first time we will say that in eight years.
So, in the present day’s project was to shine a highlight on Mahomes’ historical past in the fantasy football playoffs, his Decembers to Remember. The humorous factor is, he hasn’t been that dynamic in the fantasy playoffs by the years. He’s been good, however often one thing in need of a league-decider.
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The aggregate monthly stats, whereas not a excellent overlap for fantasy playoff video games, inform a few of the story. Mahomes has a 95.8 career passer score in December, a 7.41 YPA and 57 landing passes (4.68 landing charge) in 34 video games. Those are all the lowest month-to-month outputs for his career. Perhaps it’s a statistical fluke, perhaps it’s tied to dangerous climate right here and there; you determine. It’s not a main step back from his career norms (7.7 YPA, 100.8 passer score, 5.7 landing charge), however it’s a discount.
Let’s undergo the years of the fantasy playoffs and see how Mahomes has carried out.
2018: QB3 for Weeks 14-16 (QB6, QB8, QB6)
Mahomes hardly ever had dangerous video games throughout his breakout 2018 season, en path to his first MVP award. The Chiefs protection was pushing him to maintain up that yr — Kansas City had the top-scoring staff in the league (565 factors, the greatest offense in staff historical past) however the Twenty fourth-ranked scoring protection. Throwing to peak Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce was a blast that season, and Kareem Hunt additionally popped at age 23. That trio mixed for 37 of the staff’s 66 touchdowns. The enjoyable lastly stopped in the AFC Championship Game, with the Patriots outracing the Chiefs in extra time, 37-31.
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Deshaun Watson was QB1 for the fantasy playoffs that yr, Aaron Rodgers QB2.
2019: QB6 for Weeks 14-16 (QB20, QB5, QB5)
The Patriots held Mahomes to 14.9 factors in Week 14, however Mahomes did his factor in opposition to the Broncos and Bears the subsequent two weeks. He was merely the QB8 for the season, in half as a result of he missed two video games and his landing charge fell from 8.6% to five.4%. All was good come playoff time, as the Chiefs rolled by the Texans, Titans and 49ers and received their first Super Bowl in the Mahomes period.
Drew Brees completed QB1 for the fantasy playoffs in 2019, amassing 12 landing passes in opposition to zero picks. Breakout star Lamar Jackson was QB2, and the Jameis Winston carnival slotted at QB3. Winston’s three video games in this phase have been joys to behold — 1,249 passing yards, 9 touchdowns, eight picks. One-of-one, man.
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2020: QB8 for Weeks 14-16 (QB9, QB9, QB13)
After throwing simply two picks in the first three months of the yr, Mahomes had some wayward moments down the stretch, intercepted 4 occasions in this phase. Kansas City had a damaged offensive line for many of that yr however the tax didn’t come due till the Super Bowl, when the Tampa Bay entrance seven harried Mahomes into a blowout loss.
Mahomes charted as the QB3 for the full season, ending behind Kyler Murray (think about that) and Josh Allen. Allen, Jackson and Jalen Hurts scored the greatest in the fantasy playoffs that season.
2021: QB3 for Weeks 15-17 (QB2, QB5 QB8)
The longer season didn’t maintain Mahomes back, as he rolled up 927 passing yards and eight touchdowns in the fantasy playoffs. Kelce and Hill each had 9 landing catches that yr, however I wager you may’t recall who was next on the list, catching 5 touchdowns. Kansas City rotated a bunch of backs that yr however no one made it to 600 yards speeding; as a outcome, Mahomes threw a career-high 658 occasions. Kansas City finally misplaced in the AFC Championship recreation, taken down by the Bengals in extra time.
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Joe Burrow and Josh Allen nudged out Mahomes in the fantasy playoffs. For the common season, Mahomes charted QB4, behind Allen, Justin Herbert and Tom Brady.
2022: QB1 for Weeks 15-17 (QB4, QB7, QB4)
This was certainly one of the cleanest Mahomes seasons in fantasy, as he was the QB1 for the full season and the playoffs. And he did it regardless of the lack of Hill; Kelce (12 landing catches) and journeyman Jerick McKinnon (9 landing catches) helped offset the loss. Mahomes additionally ran in 4 touchdowns that yr, a private greatest at the time.
Allen and Hurts have been behind Mahomes on the seasonal board, whereas Brady and Kirk Cousins have been the different podium-position quarterbacks in the fantasy playoffs. The Chiefs received one other real-life championship, holding off the Eagles, 38-35.
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2023: QB16 (QB14, QB16, QB25)
This was the begin of issues flipping in Kansas City, as the Chiefs ranked fifteenth in scoring offense however second in scoring protection. Mahomes solely cracked the prime 10 amongst fantasy QBs in certainly one of his remaining 9 video games. Lamar Jackson, Joe Flacco (from his sofa to the Browns!) and Jordan Love dominated the fantasy playoffs, whereas Allen, Hurts and Jackson had the regular-season podium finishes (Dak Prescott was fourth).
Despite the considerably disappointing 11-6 end, the Chiefs obtained their home in order in the playoffs, profitable 4 straight and finally beating San Francisco in the Super Bowl, a 25-22 determination in extra time.
2024: QB7 for Weeks 15-17 (QB15, QB4, QB7)
A slog at Cleveland in Week 15 might need eradicated some fantasy managers, however in case you survived that, Mahomes answered the name in opposition to Houston and Pittsburgh. The Chiefs once more have been carried by their protection (fourth in factors allowed) over their offense (fifteenth in factors scored). Mahomes steered the staff back to the Super Bowl, however the Eagles romped to a decisive win on Super Sunday.
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Jackson, Allen and Burrow held the podium for the common season. Rookie sensation Jayden Daniels was QB1 in the playoffs, adopted by Jared Goff and Jackson.
2025: QB24 in Week 15 (and injured)
Mahomes ended his first shedding season with QB25 and QB24 finishes, however let’s not miss his total success this season. He’s at present the QB2 in cumulative scoring, helped considerably by the most speeding manufacturing of his career (64-422-5).
But the competitiveness of the Chiefs was supported by the protection — the staff ranks fifth in factors allowed however simply fifteenth in factors scored. Kelce has began to look his age, Rashee Rice missed six video games, the different wideouts have been inconsistent and Kansas City had an unusual speeding recreation all yr.
The Chiefs have a lot of inauspicious inquiries to reply as they enter an unsure offseason.