The NFL playoffs are just around the corner, with six games scheduled this weekend: two on Saturday, three on Sunday, and the Monday night finale between the Vikings and Rams, which was moved from SoFi Stadium to State Farm Stadium in Arizona due to the wildfires that ravaged California this week.
With the regular season over and analyzed with a clear head, the NFL released the 2024 All-Pro Team, with a national panel of 50 media members voting on the best players at each position for the first and second teams, with former LSU teammates Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson being the only unanimous choices.
At the quarterback position, Lamar Jackson won the award for the second straight year and third time overall, breaking a tie with Patrick Mahomes, who has won it twice (2018-22). Only Peyton Manning (7) and Aaron Rodgers (4) have won more times than Lamar, who received 30 first-place votes to Josh Allen’s 18.
The other two times Lamar won, he also ended up as the season’s MVP, which is a strong indication that it could happen again this year. Interestingly, fourteen players are first-timers, most notably Raiders rookie tight end Brock Bowers, who finished ahead of George Kittle. Travis Kelce received only one second-team vote, showing that unlike the Pro Bowl, the Swifties have no influence in the All-Pro selection.
This was undoubtedly Mahomes’ worst statistical season, with career lows in yards and touchdowns, but it was also his best season in terms of wins, which are clearly more important than individual awards, especially this year as he chases the first three-peat in history.
What stands out most about the three Chiefs players selected to the first team is that two are from the offensive line: Left guard Joe Thuney and center Creed Humphrey.
However, their selection coincides with Mahomes being sacked a career-high 36 times this year. With these two players being chosen as “the best” in their position it seems that the haters are right and Mahomes had a downturn to what we were used to, but in the playoffs we will surely see his best version as well as Kelce’s.
