KANSAS CITY, Mo. _ Last November, the Chiefs entered their bye week with a 7-4 record after holding off the Chargers 24-17 in a "Monday Night Football" game in Mexico.
At that time, there was talk that the Raiders (!) might sneak up and grab the AFC West title from the Chiefs since quarterback Patrick Mahomes had only recently returned to the starting lineup after that dislocated kneecap injury.
Meanwhile, the Baltimore Ravens ended November with a 9-2 record having averaged 43 points per game in the month. The Seattle Seahawks also were 9-2 heading into December, and quarterback Russell Wilson was being talked up for MVP.
This little history lesson is important because late November is when the ballots for the NFL 100 rankings were given to players.
Former Lions/Seahawks/Vikings receiver Nate Burleson said that could explain why Mahomes was ranked No. 4 on the NFL 100 list despite leading the Chiefs to a Super Bowl victory. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson was first on the list, followed by Wilson and Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald.
"We all are big fans of Pat Mahomes, but you also have to understand when these votes happen," Burleson said Thursday on "Good Morning Football" on the NFL Network. "I remember playing in the league we would get these lists passed around through these locker rooms in November and December, and we were making decisions based on what we knew at that time.
"So think about it, take yourself back to November and December and Lamar Jackson was just lighting this league up. And I agree Pat Mahomes is a once-in-a-lifetime player, he is a generational talent, but so is Lamar Jackson. Now if they take this list and they do it digitally over the last couple of months, every time in the offseason around this time of the year, yeah, the list might turn out different."
Burleson also said that Mahomes has a better group of skill players around him and that may have affected how people voted.
