It's pretty inarguable that 2025 was the worst season of Patrick Mahomes' career. Even if we discount the distressing injury that prematurely ended his season, he was on pace for the least efficient season of his career.
But for EA Sports, his decline in 2025 doesn't mean much for 2026.
Ahead of the release of Madden NFL 27 in mid-August, the QB rankings for the new roster have been revealed. To the shock (and outrage) of fans, Mahomes received a rating of 93 overall - making him the fifth-highest rated QB in the video game, ahead of NFL MVP runner-up Drake Maye (92), Super Bowl winner Sam Darnold (85) and even cover athlete Caleb Williams (90).
The only four QBs rated ahead of him were Matthew Stafford (99), Josh Allen (99), Joe Burrow (97) and Lamar Jackson (94).
The Disrespect
As with just about any list that rates or ranks quarterbacks, there was backlash. Some fans complained that Mahomes was too high while others complained that their favorite QBs were rated too low. For the most part though, many fans believe that Mahomes was simply rated too low given what he's done when healthy:
"Where tf is Jordan Love dawg ts is so disrespectful," one user angrily wrote on X.
"What on earth has Joe Burrow done to deserve being 3-4 overalls higher than 2 time MVP Lamar and 2 time MVP 3 time Super Bowl winner Mahomes?" wrote another.
"I get it, the Chiefs were extremely disappointing last year. This is beyond disrespectful to Mahomes. The guy is a 2x league MVP and 3x Super Bowl champ/MVP and hasn’t even hit the prime age for QBs yet. Just crazy to be just a 93," a third remarked.
© Amy Kontras-Imagn Images.
The expectations are that Mahomes will reclaim his position as one of the top few QBs in the NFL and that the results on the field will reflect that.
The fact that he's already back on the field after a major knee injury less than nine months ago is already a sign that he'll be starting the season off right.
