Ranking NFL’s top 10 quarterback-coach duos for 2022: Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid retake No. 1 spot

Our quarterback-coach duo rankings certainly underwent plenty of changes from 2021, thanks to all the quarterback and head coach movement around the league from one of the craziest offseasons in NFL history. Were there 10 quarterback-head coach duos to even qualify for a top-10 list? The answer was a resounding yes. 

The No. 1 quarterback-head coach duo from last season — Tom Brady and Bruce Arians — broke up after Arians’ stunning retirement in March. The Russell Wilson and Pete Carroll duo are no more, same with Ben Roethlisberger and Mike Tomlin after Roethlisberger’s retirement. There are plenty of changes to the 2022 list as a result, with a lot of new entries thanks to the changing of the guard in the league. 

Before we scroll down to the 2022 quarterback-head coach rankings, let’s revisit the qualifications for this list. Same rules as before, explaining why Brady and Wilson are off the list this year — along with Mike Tomlin. 

• New head coaches and quarterbacks on new teams DO NOT QUALIFY for the list: Russell Wilson and Nathaniel Hackett fall into this category, as the duo has never taken a regular season snap together. (Hackett has never even been a head coach for a regular season game yet.) Wilson has 104 regular season wins and 292 touchdown passes through 10 seasons (second in NFL history), but is on a new team for the first time in his career. Mike Tomlin has the most wins for any head coach through his first 15 seasons in the NFL, yet isn’t on this list because he has a new starting quarterback this season (either Mitchell Trubisky and Kenny Pickett). Even Tom Brady has a new head coach in Todd Bowles, so this duo isn’t eligible, either. The same rules applied to Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford in 2021.
• New qualification for 2022: This is called the Jimmy Garoppolo/Kyle Shanahan rule. Garoppolo is still on the 49ers roster even though the team has moved on and (unofficially) named Trey Lance the starting quarterback. Garoppolo and Kyle Shanahan have reached two NFC Championship games in three years together and would easily make the top-10 for this list, but the 49ers are attempting to trade Garoppolo to make the transition to Lance easier. With Garoppolo still on the roster, he and Shanahan should be eligible for this list — but Garoppolo isn’t the starting quarterback. As a result, Garoppolo and Shanahan won’t qualify. (Garoppolo would likely have been traded by now, but offseason surgery has stalled that process.)
• Play-calling/not calling plays neither helps nor hurts: Some head coaches oversee the team, deferring the play-calling duties to the offensive coordinator. That shouldn’t affect their reputation with the quarterback or with winning games and making deep postseason runs. Head coaches that don’t call plays will not get bumped down on this list. 
• Longevity isn’t everything: It’s a great sign that a head coach and a quarterback have been together for a long time (which certainly plays a role in these rankings), but recent success on the field should also play a factor. Quarterbacks who had a strong 2021 season or have a small sample size with their head coach shouldn’t be punished too harshly because they haven’t been together for many years.
• Championships help: Yes, winning the ultimate prize matters, which is a power boost– and it’s even better if that title is a recent one. Getting to the Super Bowl is a tough task, which played a part in where I decided to rank these duos. MVP awards also played a factor. 
• Remember, one half of the duo may be very good but the other half lacks, which I’ll break down in the top-10 rankings below. 

Here’s a look at last year’s rankings as a refresher:

1. Tom Brady/Bruce Arians (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
2. Patrick Mahomes/Andy Reid (Kansas City Chiefs)
3. Aaron Rodgers/Matt LaFleur (Green Bay Packers)
4. Russell Wilson/Pete Carroll (Seattle Seahawks)
5. Lamar Jackson/John Harbaugh (Baltimore Ravens)
6. Josh Allen/Sean McDermott (Buffalo Bills)
7. Ryan Tannehill/ Mike Vrabel (Tennessee Titans)
8. Ben Roethlisberger/Mike Tomlin (Pittsburgh Steelers)
9. Baker Mayfield/Kevin Stefanski (Cleveland Browns)
10. Jimmy Garoppolo/Kyle Shanahan (San Francisco 49ers)

Presenting, the top 10 quarterback/head coach duos in the NFL for 2022. Feel free to criticize!

10. Kyler Murray/Kliff Kingsbury — Arizona Cardinals

This duo deserves criticism for their performances late in the season, but they have also improved their win total each year they’ve been together. The Cardinals were just 3-13 in the year Murray and Kingsbury showed up. In their first season together (2019), they went 5-11, followed by 8-8, then 11-6 and the franchise’s first playoff appearance since 2015. What’s year four going to bring for this rising duo?

Murray has been the franchise quarterback the Cardinals drafted when they made him the No. 1 overall pick in 2019. He has completed 66.9% of his passes for 11,480 yards and 70 touchdowns to 34 interceptions in three seasons with the Cardinals, while rushing for 1,786 yards and 20 touchdowns. Murray and Cam Newton are the only players in NFL history with 10,000 passing yards and 1,500 rushing yards after their first three seasons. He and Newton are also the only players with 10,000 passing yards and 20 rushing touchdowns after their first three seasons. 

Murray, Newton and Josh Allen are the only quarterbacks with 20 rushing touchdowns after their first three seasons. His 1,786 rushing yards are the fourth-most by a quarterback after his first three seasons. He’s the only quarterback in league history with 70 passing touchdowns and 20 rushing touchdowns after his first three seasons. The Cardinals are 22-23-1 in Murray’s starts. 

Kingsbury is 24-24-1 as a head coach, not bad for someone who never coached at any level in the NFL when he was hired by the Cardinals (his only connection to the league was throwing two passes with the Jets). He deserves credit for the development of Murray, who has improved his completion percentage and decreased his interception rate in each of his three seasons. Murray’s passing yards per game has also improved in each season, which has resulted in the Cardinals offense averaging more points per game each year as a result. Even the Cardinals defense has improved in points and yards allowed each year under Kingsbury, showcasing he can manage a football team and win games in the process. 

The next step for the Cardinals is winning a playoff game and becoming an NFC contender. If Murray and Kingsbury can do that, they’ll have a case as one of the top quarterback-coach duos in the game. 

9. Justin Herbert/Brandon Staley — Los Angeles Chargers

Herbert and Staley have only been together one season, yet bright things appear to be ahead for the Chargers. Staley wasn’t around for Herbert’s record-breaking rookie season, but Herbert stepped up his game in year two under the guidance of Staley’s offensive coordinator hire in Joe Lombardi. 

In Herbert’s first year in a new offensive system, all he did was set the Chargers’ single-season records for touchdown passes (38), passing yards (5,014) and completions (443). Herbert’s 2021 season was one of the best for a second-year quarterback in NFL history. He completed 65.9% of his passes for 5,014 yards with 38 touchdowns to 15 interceptions for a 97.9 passer rating — becoming just the third player to throw for 5,000 yards in a season in one of his first two years (Patrick Mahomes and Dan Marino are the others). Herbert has the most completions (839), passing yards (9,350), and passing touchdowns (69) through the first two seasons of a career in league history, while also being the first quarterback to throw 30-plus touchdown passes in each of his first two seasons — arguably the greatest start for any quarterback. 

Staley, who developed his reputation as a notorious fourth-down gambler in his first season as a head coach, knew what he was doing using his aggressive moves with Herbert as his quarterback. Herbert went 15 of 22 for 197 yards with two touchdowns and zero interceptions (126.5 rating) on fourth downs last season, incredible numbers for a second-year quarterback. 

Herbert and Staley are 9-8 in their one season together — just missing the playoffs on the final week of the season. More success is ahead for the duo as it heads into year two, with Herbert developing into one of the game’s elite quarterbacks and the Chargers loading up their roster while he’s on his rookie deal. 

This duo has the potential to be great for a long time. All they need is a deep playoff run to get things rolling.

8. Dak Prescott/Mike McCarthy — Dallas Cowboys

Prescott and McCarthy certainly are prone to controversy, even if they have the potential to become one of the top quarterback-coach duos in the league. Both their resumes are impressive, yet they haven’t done much together outside of a NFC East title and a playoff appearance last year. 

Coming back from a gruesome ankle injury in 2021, Prescott completed a career-high 410 passes on 596 attempts for 4,449 yards (fourth in team history) and a franchise-record 37 touchdowns. He threw just 10 interceptions and was tied for third in the NFL with a 104.2 rating (trailing only Aaron Rodgers and Joe Burrow). He tallied a 100.0-plus passer rating in 10 games played and was the seventh quarterback in NFL history with eight games of a 100-plus passer rating and three passing touchdowns in a season. 

What Prescott has accomplished in his six seasons keeps him in the conversation of the game’s top quarterbacks. His 44 games with a 100-plus passer rating trail only Russell Wilson (46) for the most through a player’s first six seasons. Through his first 85 games, Prescott has the second-most games with a 100-plus passer rating — as the Cowboys are 38-6 in those contests. His 2.86 touchdown-to-interception ratio is sixth-best in league history, and his nine 400-yard passing games are tied with Dan Marino for the most through a player’s first six seasons. Prescott’s 25 rushing touchdowns rank fifth in NFL history through the first 85 games of a quarterback’s career, showcasing his dual-threat ability. His 169 combined touchdowns (passing, rushing, receiving) is fifth in NFL history through a player’s first 85 games. He’s the only player in NFL history with 140 passing touchdowns and 25 rushing touchdowns in his first six seasons.

McCarthy is one of eight active head coaches with a Super Bowl title and has just four losing seasons in a 15-year career (three of them have come in the last four years). Sporting a 143-92-2 record (.608 win percentage), McCarthy has won seven division titles in his career and has a 10-9 playoff record, reaching the conference championship game four times (1-3 record). His 10 playoff wins are tied for 15th-most in NFL history. McCarthy also has nine 10-win seasons, including a 12-5 record last year with a division title and a playoff appearance. 

Despite all these accolades, Prescott and McCarthy are just 13-8 in their 21 games together with one playoff appearance (a loss to the San Francisco 49ers at home). Prescott has completed 68.6% of his passes for 6,305 yards with 46 touchdowns to 14 interceptions (103.0 rating) under McCarthy — one of three quarterbacks to average 300 passing yards per game. 

The stats are there for Prescott, and both he and McCarthy have the pedigree to succeed and make deep playoff runs. They just haven’t happened with the Cowboys — yet. 

7. Ryan Tannehill/Mike Vrabel — Tennessee Titans

Even without Derrick Henry, Tannehill and Vrabel continue to prove why they are mainstays amongst the top quarterback-coach duos in the league. This is a friendly reminder Tennessee was the No. 1 seed in the AFC last season with a 12-5 record, despite not having Henry for the entire second half of the year. 

Tannehill’s 32 wins since Week 7 of the 2019 season (when he became the starter) are fifth-most in the NFL (only Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, and Josh Allen have more). Since the start of the 2019 season, Tannehill is fifth in the league in yards per attempt (7.93), ninth in touchdown passes (76) and sixth in passer rating (102.0) among quarterbacks with at least 1,000 pass attempts. Tannehill also is tied for first in fourth-quarter comebacks (10) and is second in game-winning drives (13) since the start of the 2019 season, while ranking sixth in touchdown percentage (5.9). He also has 18 rushing touchdowns in that span. 

Vrabel was the league’s Coach of the Year in 2021, as he led the Titans to the No. 1 seed for the first time since 2008. Tennessee set an NFL record with 91 different players used, yet still had an NFL record eight victories against teams with a winning record. Remember, Henry missed nine games and the Titans still beat three teams with a winning record without him. 

The Titans have made the playoffs in each of the past three seasons Vrabel has been head coach, having a winning record in all of Vrabel’s four years. Vrabel is 41-24 as a head coach (.635 win percentage), but the Titans are 30-13 (.698 win percentage) with an AFC Championship game appearance and consecutive AFC South division titles since making Tannehill the starter in Week 7 of the 2019 season. 

While losing in the divisional round was disappointing, the Titans are showcasing they’re a playoff contender every season with Tannehill and Vrabel. Not having A.J. Brown in the offense will hurt, but they still will have a healthy Henry to make a run at a third consecutive division title. 

Tannehill had a down year in 2021, completing 67.2% of his passes for 3,734 yards with 21 touchdowns and 14 interceptions (89.6 rating). He’s still the best option to get Tennessee deep into the playoffs, even if the Titans may have his heir apparent on the roster in third-round rookie Malik Willis.

6. Lamar Jackson/John Harbaugh — Baltimore Ravens

Easy to forget what Jackson and Harbaugh accomplished heading into December last season. The Ravens were 8-3 and atop the AFC before not winning another game and missing the postseason entirely. Jackson only missed one game in that stretch (non-COVID illness) and played the next two games with a bone bruise in his ankle before he was unable to play the rest of the year. The Ravens were 8-5 and leading the AFC North as the No. 4 seed when Jackson was shut down. 

The Jackson-Harbaugh combination is one of the best in the NFL, regardless if the pair has just one playoff win together in their three-and-a-half seasons. Jackson didn’t have the best 2021 campaign throwing the ball, completing 64.4% of his passes for 2,882 yards with 16 touchdowns and 13 interceptions (87.0 rating), but he did have 767 rushing yards and two touchdowns in 12 games — well on his way to a third consecutive 1,000-yard season before the injury. 

All Baltimore has done is win since Jackson became the starting quarterback in Week 11 of the 2018 season, as the Ravens are 37-12 during that stretch. Jackson is also the first quarterback in NFL history to reach 35 regular season wins before the age of 25. Jackson has completed 64.2% of his passes for 9,880 yards with 83 touchdowns to 31 interceptions (98.0 rating) since becoming the Ravens’ starter — while rushing for 3,564 yards and 20 touchdowns on the ground. 

Jackson recorded at least 200 passing yards and 50 rushing yards in seven games in 2021, tying Randall Cunningham (1990) for the most such performances in NFL single-season history (he also accomplished the feat in 2019). He’s the fastest quarterback in league history to reach 5,000 passing yards and 2,000 rushing yards (35 games), and his 10 100-yard rushing games are tied with Michael Vick for the most in league history. He also is the only quarterback to rush for 1,000 yards in a season twice. His five games with 200 passing yards and 100 rushing yards are the most in league history. 

Jackson is one of the most valuable players in the league, but Harbaugh deserves a ton of credit for finding his franchise quarterback. Harbaugh has an impressive resume as a head coach, going 137-88 (.609 win percentage) in his 14 seasons — the third-longest tenure in the league with one team. His eight playoff wins on the road are the most in NFL history, and his 11 playoff victories are tied for fifth-most in NFL history through a coach’s first 14 seasons. The 11 playoff wins since 2008 trail only New England for the most in the NFL. Of course, Harbaugh also won Super Bowl XLVII — solidifying his place as one of the game’s top coaches.

Last season was Harbaugh’s first losing campaign since 2015, but don’t bank on that again. With a healthy Jackson, the Ravens should be Super Bowl contenders. Jackson and Harbaugh need to take that next step.

5. Joe Burrow/Zac Taylor — Cincinnati Bengals

Burrow and Taylor have only been together for two years, yet what they accomplished in 2021 deserves a high mark. The Bengals went from worst to first in the AFC North and won the AFC Championship, beating the No. 1 seed Tennessee Titans and then the Kansas City Chiefs — on the road. This all occurred in Burrow and Taylor’s first full season together. 

Burrow established himself as one of the game’s best quarterbacks, a year after coming off ACL surgery. He completed a league-high 70.4% of his passes for 4,611 yards with 34 touchdowns to 14 interceptions for a 108.4 passer rating. Burrow also led the NFL in yards per attempt (8.9) despite being sacked a league-high 51 times in the regular season. He led the NFL in 30-plus-yard touchdown passes in 2021 (15), seven more than Tom Brady (who was second). When pressured, Burrow was first in the league in completion percentage (61%), yards per attempt (8.6) and quarterback rating (92.4). 

Burrow already holds eight franchise records for a quarterback, including throwing for 525 yards in a Week 16 win over the Ravens last year. Burrow has the highest completion percentage (68.2%) through a player’s first two seasons in NFL history (minimum 500 attempts). 

Taylor is just 16-32-1 in his three seasons, yet he deserves credit for the Bengals going from 4-11-1 to 10-7 in one season — culminating with three playoff wins and a Super Bowl appearance. He led the Bengals to their first playoff win since the 1990 season and their first Super Bowl appearance since 1988. The Bengals are just the third team to have the worst record in the NFL and then reach the Super Bowl two years later, joining the 1981 San Francisco 49ers and 2003 Carolina Panthers. Taylor has the lowest win percentage by any coach to reach the Super Bowl, yet the Bengals matched the 1988 Bengals, 1999 Rams and 2019 49ers as the teams with the fewest wins (four) in a season prior to reaching the Super Bowl the following year.

Cincinnati’s surprising run to the Super Bowl, along with Burrow’s emergence as one of the game’s top quarterbacks, catapulted Burrow and Taylor into the conversation of the top quarterback-coach duos. This season will determine if they can stay amongst the game’s best — as the Bengals upgraded their roster in a loaded AFC. 

4. Josh Allen/Sean McDermott — Buffalo Bills

The Bills are a contender to win the Super Bowl in 2022 because of the emergence of Allen as one of the game’s elite quarterbacks. McDermott deserves credit for making Buffalo one of the NFL’s best teams as well, as the Bills have become a Super Bowl contender under his watch. Even though the Bills didn’t make the AFC Championship Game like they did the previous season, there are plenty of arguments to be made they should have.

All Allen has accomplished over the last two seasons is record 88 touchdowns (trailing only Aaron Rodgers), while his 135 total touchdowns trail only Dan Marino for the most by a player after his first four seasons. He completed 63.3% of his passes last season, throwing for 4,407 yards with 36 touchdowns to 15 interceptions (92.2 rating). Allen also led the league in yards per carry (6.3), rushing for a career-high 763 yards. He joined Cam Newton as the only quarterbacks to throw for 4,000 yards and rush for 700 yards in a season.

Allen proved his postseason excellence last year, throwing just 14 incompletions to nine touchdowns. The 149.0 passer rating was the highest for any quarterback in NFL playoff history. He became the first player in NFL history with an 80% completion rate, five passing touchdowns and 50 yards rushing in a game (wild card win over the Patriots). Allen also has five playoff games with 250 passing yards and 50 rushing yards — the most in NFL history — and his 106.6 passer rating in the playoffs is the highest in league history. 

McDermott takes a lot of criticism, yet he’s one of the top coaches in the game. He has four winning seasons in five years with the Bills, compiling a 49-32 record (.605 win percentage) and a 3-4 playoff record. The Bills won consecutive AFC East titles for the first time since 1988-1991 and are one of only three teams to win 10 games and make the playoffs in each of the last three years (Packers and Chiefs are the other two). 

Buffalo had just two winning seasons this century prior to McDermott’s arrival, with no 10-win seasons (McDermott has three consecutive 10-win campaigns). A defensive-minded head coach, McDermott led the Bills to first in the NFL in points allowed per game (17.0) — the first time in franchise history they led the league in scoring defense. 

Allen and McDermott are 39-21 in 60 starts together with three consecutive playoff appearances and 10-win seasons to their credentials. While falling short of the Super Bowl was disappointing, both are responsible for the Bills becoming one of the powers in the NFL. The Bills are set up to go to the Super Bowl for the first time since the 1993 season.

3. Aaron Rodgers/Matt LaFleur — Green Bay Packers

Even though Rodgers and LaFleur haven’t reached a Super Bowl together, the duo deserves respect amongst the best in the game. The Packers have been the No. 1 seed in the NFC for consecutive seasons and have earned a first-round bye in three straight years. Green Bay wins a lot of games under Rodgers and LaFleur. 

Let’s start with Rodgers, who won his fourth MVP award this past season — trailing only Peyton Manning for the most in NFL history (five). He’s the first player to win consecutive MVPs since Manning in 2008 and 2009 and the fifth player in league history to win the award in consecutive years. Rodgers had a historic 2021 season in capturing MVP honors, completing 68.9% of his passes for 4,115 yards with 37 touchdowns to just four interceptions for a 111.9 passer rating. He led the NFL in touchdown percentage (7.0), interception percentage (0.8), and passer rating. He was the second-oldest player to win the MVP award, and his 13 games with multiple passing touchdowns and zero interceptions are the most in a season in NFL history. 

What Rodgers has accomplished over the past three seasons under LaFleur has arguably been one of the best three-year stretches for a quarterback in NFL history. Rodgers has completed 67.1% of his passes for 12,416 yards with 111 touchdowns to just 13 interceptions for a 109.2 passer rating, going 39-9 as a starter in that stretch. Over the last two seasons, Rodgers has thrown 85 touchdown passes to nine interceptions with a 116.7 passer rating, all first in the NFL. 

LaFleur’s success is obviously tied to Rodgers, as he’s 39-10 after his first three seasons (the 39 wins are the most for any head coach in NFL history after their first three seasons). LaFleur is the first head coach since the league went to a divisional format in 1967 to win 13-plus games and a division title in each of his first three seasons. He’s the first head coach to lead a team to three consecutive 13-win seasons and has never lost consecutive games in his career (regular season). LaFleur has a .796 win percentage and needs a victory in Week 1 of the 2022 season to officially qualify for the highest win percentage for any coach in NFL history (.800 win percentage). A loss would put LaFleur (.780 win percentage) second behind Guy Chamberlain (.784). 

While Rodgers and LaFleur have an incredible amount of regular season success together, the Packers are just 2-3 in the postseason with two NFC Championship Game appearances over the last three years. A Super Bowl championship would vault Rodgers and LaFleur even higher on this list. 

2. Matthew Stafford/Sean McVay — Los Angeles Rams

It only took one year for Stafford and McVay to win a title together, showcasing the untapped potential of how great this duo can be. While McVay was already one of the game’s best coaches, Stafford was the quarterback who vaulted him into historic territory. 

Stafford threw for 4,886 yards and 41 touchdowns in his first season with the Rams, ranking in the top three in the NFL in both categories. He set the franchise record for passing yards in a season and set a new mark for most single-season completions in team history (404). Stafford also tied Tom Brady’s mark as the only quarterbacks to lead the league in passing touchdowns in a season (regular season and postseason) to win a Super Bowl (50). He’s the first quarterback in NFL history with 6,000 passing yards, 50 passing touchdowns and a Super Bowl win in the same season (regular season and postseason stats combined). 

Stafford was even better in the fourth quarter, throwing for 14 touchdowns to zero interceptions with a 123.2 passer rating last season (regular season and postseason). He’s only the third quarterback in NFL history to win the Super Bowl in his first year with a new team. Through his first 182 games, Stafford’s 49,995 career passing yards are the most in NFL history and his 323 touchdowns are sixth most in that span. Stafford’s 34 fourth-quarter comebacks are fifth most in NFL history, and his 42 game-winning drives are tied for seventh most in league history. 

McVay is off to a historic start in his career. He is one of just three coaches to have .650 win percentage in the regular season and .700 win percentage in the postseason, joining Vince Lombardi and Bill Belichick. The Rams are 55-26 (.679 win percentage) in McVay’s five seasons in Los Angeles, winning three NFC West titles, two NFC championships, and a Super Bowl title. McVay has led the Rams to four double-digit win seasons and is the youngest head coach to appear in two Super Bowls (36 years, 1 month old). He’s also the youngest head coach to win the Super Bowl, sporting a 7-3 postseason record. McVay is one of six head coaches in league history to have a .700 win percentage in the postseason that has coached a minimum of 10 games. 

Stafford and McVay are 4-0 in the playoffs together and are 16-5 overall (.762 win percentage including postseason). What the pair has accomplished in just one season together has been incredible, and it is worthy of entering the conversation of being the best quarterback-head coach duo in the league.

1. Patrick Mahomes/Andy Reid — Kansas City Chiefs 

Mahomes and Reid have spent four full seasons together and never failed to make it to the conference championship game. Their level of consistency and success is why the duo owns the top spot for the second time in three years. Even after a 3-4 start, Mahomes and Reid led the Chiefs to their sixth consecutive AFC West title — finishing with a 12-5 record and the No. 2 seed in the AFC. 

In their four years together, Mahomes and Reid have never won fewer than 12 games. The Chiefs are 50-15 (.769 win percentage) since Mahomes became the starting quarterback in 2018 and are 49-12 (.803 win percentage) in Mahomes’ 63 starts during that stretch. Kansas City has won four AFC West titles, made the conference championship game four times, won two AFC titles and captured Super Bowl LIV under Mahomes and Reid. 

Mahomes didn’t have his typical dominant season, yet he was still very good. He completed 66.3% of his passes for 4,839 yards for 37 touchdowns in 2021 — yet he threw a career-high 13 interceptions. The 284.6 passing yards per game and 98.5 passer rating were the lowest of Mahomes’ career in a full season, yet he still found a way for the Chiefs to reach the AFC Championship Game. 

In the postseason, Mahomes completed 73% of his passes for 1,057 yards with 11 touchdown passes to three interceptions for a 118.8 passer rating. The 11 touchdown passes are tied for first in NFL history in a single postseason. The first quarterback in NFL history to start four conference championship games before turning 27, Mahomes has never had a season where he’s failed to reach the conference championship game. He sports an 8-3 postseason record. 

Despite playing just one game in his rookie season, Mahomes has thrown for the fifth-most passing yards (18,991) and has the highest passer rating (105.8) through a player’s first five seasons in the league (second in touchdown passes with 151). Mahomes has the most passing yards (18,707) and passing touchdowns (151) of any player over the last four years. He’s off to one of the greatest starts for any quarterback in league history. 

Reid is already one of the top 10 coaches in NFL history and continues to climb up the all-time rankings each season. Reid is the only coach in NFL history to take two different teams to four straight conference championship games — the Eagles went from 2001 to 2004 and the Chiefs went from 2018 to 2021. He has 19 postseason victories, tied with Don Shula for the third most in NFL history (only Bill Belichick and Tom Landry have more playoff wins). Reid has made nine conference championship games (only Belichick and Landry have more) in his Hall of Fame career. 

With 252 combined victories in the regular season and postseason, Reid is fifth on the all-time list amongst head coaches. He’s the only coach in NFL history to win 100 games with two different franchises. The Chiefs are 103-42 in Reid’s nine seasons (.710 win percentage), and Reid is 233-135-1 (.633 win percentage) in his 23 years as a head coach. 

Mahomes and Reid are the best quarterback-head coach duo in the NFL. Until the Chiefs are dethroned as the perennial power in the AFC, they’ll be sitting at the top of the mountain.