The Kansas City Chiefs are in the midst of a historic season at 9-2 and on the verge of locking up the top record in the AFC. Most of their success is due to second-year quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who was thrust into the starting job after head coach Andy Reid decided to send Alex Smith off to Washington in the offseason.

Mahomes has made a smooth transition into his starting job with the Chiefs after lighting up the scoreboard and stat sheet during his time with Texas Tech in college. He has done much of the same through the 2018 NFL season and he has placed himself firmly in the race for the NFL MVP award.

So far in the 2018 season, Patrick Mahomes leads the league in yards, touchdowns, and touchdown-interception ratio. He is on pace to throw for nearly 5,277 yards and 53 touchdowns, which would fall just shy of Peyton Manning's 2013 records. He has also done all of this while running back Kareem Hunt, runner-up for the 2017 NFL Rookie of the Year, has had an equally impressive season with 824 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground.

ClutchPoints

Mahomes has had a terrific year for the Kansas City Chiefs this year and has them on the edge of a historic year. This past Monday, he helped give the nation what everyone believed to be a preview of Super Bowl LII with the Los Angeles Rams. He threw for a season-high 428 yards and six touchdowns in the 54-51 shootout loss. This only gives him and the Chiefs hope that Mahomes should be able to throw all over the field.

The main concern many have for Mahomes is his habit of making bad throws on the run. Twice in the last two minutes of the game against the Rams, he threw two ill-advised passes on the run that were intercepted and cost his team the game late. He will have to make those plays count late in the stretch to lead his team to victory.

While the MVP award isn't based on wins and losses, many will base his standing in the race on that. If Mahomes can't win big games, his chance to win the award could be in jeopardy.

Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs
ClutchPoints

However, Patrick Mahomes should be able to continue his historic season and make an even bigger name for himself throughout the back half of the year. He has a chance to continue his year on Sunday against the Oakland Raiders, who have one of the worst pass defenses in the league.

At this point in the year, it is hard to say who will win the MVP award, but for the Kansas City Chiefs, Mahomes is certainly worthy of the title.