There have been only 11 quarterbacks in NFL history to throw for 40 touchdowns in a season. The list is a who’s who of stellar quarterbacks.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield is about ready to join that list. But he wasn’t on another list: The NFC Pro Bowl roster.
Whenever there’s an all-star or Pro Bowl roster announced, there’s a lot of focus on who didn’t make it. And while more than a few NFL players should be miffed at the flawed Pro Bowl voting process, a few really have a gripe. Mayfield might be at the top of that list.
Mayfield has 4,279 yards and 39 touchdowns. He has the Buccaneers one win (or an Atlanta Falcons loss) from an NFC South championship, and put up his numbers with Chris Godwin out for much of the season and Mike Evans missing multiple games.
And yet, Mayfield couldn’t crack the top three of NFC quarterbacks in the Pro Bowl vote.
The problem with complaining about Mayfield, or any other fantastic player, being left off the Pro Bowl roster is figuring out who needed to be left off. It’s not like there was an undeserving NFC quarterback. The three that made it are Jayden Daniels of the Washington Commanders, Jared Goff of the Detroit Lions and Sam Darnold of the Minnesota Vikings. Daniels is having a historic rookie season and has the Commanders in the playoffs, and Goff and Darnold have put up strong seasons for 14-2 teams. It’s hard to leave any of them off, though Mayfield is also clearly having a Pro Bowl-level season.
Mayfield isn’t the only player with a gripe. Here’s a few of the others:
Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes: Let’s get this one out of the way. It seems weird that Mahomes, during a season in which the Chiefs are 15-1, isn’t in the Pro Bowl. But he hasn’t had a better individual season than the three AFC quarterbacks: Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen. So while it seems odd and can be considered a snub by some, if you want to include Mahomes you have to also state which AFC quarterback gets the boot.
Philadelphia OT Jordan Mailata: Mailata missed four games due to injury, and that had to be what cost him a spot. Mailata is Pro Football Focus’ top graded tackle in the entire NFL this season. He has allowed just one sack on 213 pass blocking snaps, via PFF.
Detroit Lions S Kerby Joseph: The Lions have two fantastic safeties. Brian Branch made the Pro Bowl team and Joseph was left off. Joseph leads the NFL with nine interceptions. As far as advanced stats, his coverage EPA (expected points added) is -55.3 per Next Gen Stats, which tops the NFL by a mile.
Los Angeles Rams RB Kyren Williams: Williams is third in the NFL with 1,299 yards and tied for second with 14 rushing touchdowns. He has been a true workhorse for the Rams. It’s hard to leave off Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs or Jahmyr Gibbs, but Williams should feel like he deserved a spot.
Denver Broncos DL Zach Allen: The Broncos are in good position to go to the playoffs, have had a good defense all season, and Allen has been a huge part of it. Allen has 8.5 sacks and leads all interior linemen with 65 quarterback pressures, via Next Gen Stats.
Jacksonville Jaguars WR Brian Thomas Jr.: It’s hard to figure out how Thomas didn’t make it. The rookie has 80 catches for 1,179 yards and 10 touchdowns, better numbers than Cleveland’s Jerry Jeudy or Baltimore’s Zay Flowers, who made it over him. Thomas has more yards than both of them and more touchdowns than Jeudy and Flowers combined. This is an egregious snub.
Houston Texans DE Danielle Hunter: Hunter has had a great season, with 12 sacks. He also leads the NFL in pass rush win rate and has five more QB pressures (90) than any other player according to Next Gen Stats. Hunter should have made it.
Seattle Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba: JSN had a breakout season but fell just short of the NFC Pro Bowl roster. He’s 10th in the NFL with 96 catches and ninth with 1,121 yards. It was a hard group to crack, however.
Buffalo Bills CB Christian Benford: Benford has been excellent for one of the best teams in the NFL. He has allowed just 36 catches for 320 yards in coverage all season according to Next Gen Stats. Benford is in just his third NFL season and should be a Pro Bowler soon.
