Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce have the best passer rating under pressure in the NFL this season, according to Pro Football Focus. Their mark is 158.3, the highest score a rating can hit, and Darnold and Smith-Njigba match it. The Chiefs come off a Week 5 bye and face the Chargers on Sunday, possibly without Rashee Rice. Kelce, 37, leads Kansas City with 16 catches and 246 yards, and Mahomes sits first in PFF’s quarterback rankings heading into Week 6, a spot he has held for most of the year.
Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce own the NFL’s best passer rating under pressure
A 158.3 rating is a perfect score, so there is no room left above it. Mahomes and Kelce share the top spot with Darnold and Smith-Njigba. The next three pairs trail: Bryce to Chuba at 152.7, Geno to Garrett at 151.9, and Lawrence to Meyers at 146.4.Treat it with some care, though. Kelce has 16 catches this year, so likely only a few of them came with a rusher in the quarterback’s face. One or two long gains can move a rating that far.The raw numbers help the case. Kelce’s 246 yards on 16 catches works out to roughly 15.4 yards a reception, a big figure for a tight end in his 14th season. He is 37. Mahomes has thrown for 1,037 yards and nine touchdowns, and the pair has been the best at their positions for most of their careers.The context around them has changed. Kansas City now leans on Kenneth Walker III and runs more from under center, which gives the passing game a different shape. Defenses have to respect the run first. That may leave Kelce more room to find a soft spot when the pocket collapses.
Mahomes leads PFF’s quarterback rankings before the Chargers game
PFF’s latest rankings put Mahomes at No. 1 again. His big-time throw rate of 6.7% is the best among qualifying quarterbacks, and his turnover-worthy play rate of 1.3% is sixth-lowest among the 34 passers with at least 60 dropbacks.The deep ball is where Walker’s impact shows. Mahomes is hitting shots downfield off play-action, and a real running game has brought some life back to his passing. Working from under center more often has helped too.Sunday brings a harder test. Rice may be unavailable, and Tyquan Thornton, the Chiefs’ best deep threat, is out indefinitely. If no other receiver steps up, Mahomes will lean on Kelce even more. That is a lot to ask of a 37-year-old, though the pressure numbers suggest Mahomes will keep looking his way.The number to watch is Kelce’s target share, not the passer rating. A rating built on a small sample can fade fast. A game against the Chargers in which he draws eight or nine looks, with Rice sidelined, would tell us whether this connection is a quirk of the early schedule or the new backbone of the Chiefs’ offense.