Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes Gets Big News Ahead of Week 7
When the Kansas City Chiefs play in prime time, the football world is always watching. That allows players like quarterback Patrick Mahomes to send a message on the field, which is exactly what happened.
Mahomes shined on the Sunday Night Football stage against the Detroit Lions, and he’s getting another accolade because of it. The NFL and the Chiefs announced on Wednesday morning that he’s the AFC Offensive Player of the Week for Week 6.
Patrick Mahomes Named AFC Offensive Player of the Week for Dominant Game vs. Lions
Mahomes wins the award after a dominant showing against Detroit. Completing 22 of 30 passes for 257 yards, he recorded 3 touchdowns through the air and added another 32 yards and a score on the ground. He had a 132.2 passer rating on the night, finishing as the top-producing fantasy quarterback for the week. Mahomes was the only signal-caller to have four scores in Week 6.
Per the NFL’s release, it’s the 12th time Mahomes has won a Player of the Week award. This joins Week 4’s victory this year, as well as nods in 2023 (Week 12), 2022 (Weeks 1 and 4), 2021 (Weeks 1 and 10), 2020 (Weeks 3 and 8), 2019 (Week 2) and 2018 (Weeks 1 and 2).
Among active quarterbacks, Mahomes now ranks fourth in Player of the Week wins. He passed New York Giants backup Russell Wilson on Wednesday. Entering Week 7, he trails only Lamar Jackson, reigning MVP Josh Allen and future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers.
As Matt Derrick of Chiefs Digest pointed out, Mahomes has won Offensive Player of the Week in 10.2% of weeks he’s played a regular-season game.
Mahomes has enjoyed a statistical return to form in 2025-26. Through six games, he’s thrown for 1,514 yards and 11 touchdowns with just a pair of interceptions. He’s also the club’s rushing leader with 222 yards and 4 touchdowns on 38 carries, signaling his importance to the team.
Mahomes Emerging as MVP Favorite After Chiefs’ Offensive Surge
Speaking of which, Mahomes’s production is being noticed on a national level. Entering Week 7, he’s the odds-on favorite to win the league’s MVP award. Doing such would be his third MVP in his illustrious career.
Certain metrics such as EPA/play don’t have Mahomes as the single-best quarterback on a per-down basis this year. He’s ninth in that category, per SumerSports, but has been carrying one heck of a load for the Chiefs. With wideout Xavier Worthy missing some time and Rashee Rice not even having debuted yet, it’s been on Mahomes to make things work in the passing game.
That’s without even considering the rushing aspect, as he’s scrambling now more than ever. Following Week 6’s win over Detroit, head coach Andy Reid emphasized the need to have a smart and well-balanced attack.
“Listen, he’s going to rush no matter what,” Reid said. “He’s going to run the ball. There’s just times where something doesn’t look right or maybe there is a pressure here or there, and he’s going to take off and go and I get that. It’s important that he does like he did last night. He got down on the ground and not take the big hits with the exception on one run there. He was able to get down and try to limit the hits on him.
“I thought our guys ran the ball well. I thought they had a good night at that. There was a mix, so when you do this RPO game, you’re calling runs, but some of them turn into passes. That’s the beauty of the thing. Maybe your numbers are down just a little bit, but they end up increasing in the completions.”
Once Rice returns, there’s a chance the Chiefs’ offense levels up another notch. Given their recent scoring outputs of 30, 28 and 37 points, that’s a scary proposition.
It all starts with Mahomes, who adds more hardware to his crowded mantle.
Buccaneers 'fortunate' for Tez Johnson amid WR injury crisis
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers can't catch a break when it comes to injuries on the offensive side of the ball against the San Francisco 49ers, already without Chris Godwin and Mike Evans, Baker Mayfield lost Emeka Egbuka in the third quarter.
But it didn't matter.
Why? Tez Johnson.
The rookie has stepped up in the last two weeks, with yards totals of 59 and then 45, with his game against the 49ers seeing him haul in his first NFL touchdown with a diving catch, before doing a backflip in the endzone.
And speaking about Tez, Buccaneers receivers coach Bryan McClendon was nothing but glowing about Johnson from the first time he saw him to now.
“The first thing that jumped off when you watch Tez coming out of college was his ability to create explosive plays,” McClendon said. “Defenses are way too good to go eight, nine, 10 plays in a row without you screwing up something on offense. So, you need guys that you're constantly looking for that can create those explosive plays on their own, and that was something that jumped off the tape about Tez.
"He impressed everybody through the interview process, and we're fired up to get him and even more fortunate right now to be able to have him.”
Tez set for another big role vs. Lions
With Godwin already out of the Week 7 clash, and Evans, per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, stating that Evans has a real chance at playing, Tez might again see the field often.
Having taken his chance with both hands, Johnson is now developing chemistry with Mayfield, and we can add him to the long list of weapons that Baker can now dissect defenses with. He also gives Tampa Bay a deep threat option on every play, with his touchdown against the 49ers, a 45-yard bomb.
So, if Evans can't go, the Buccaneers will feel confident in the receivers they have to get the job done, and one will be Tez, who, after biding his time, has gotten his chance, and he's not wasting it.
And for a rookie, that is exactly what the coaching staff wants.
