Patrick Mahomes of Tyler, Texas has been named the best athlete in men’s sports at the 2023 ESPY Awards. On Wednesday, Mahomes beat out a list of nominees that included soccer star Lionel Messi of Rosario, Argentina, Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic of Sombor, Serbia and New York Yankees first baseman Aaron Judge of Sacramento, California.
Mahomes was also named NFL Player of the Year. There he beat out San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts of Houston, Texas, and Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson of St. Rose, Louisiana.
During the 2022 National Football League regular season, Mahomes was named the most valuable player. He completed 435 passes in 648 attempts for a NFL high 5250 passing yards. Mahomes had 41 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He led the NFL in passing yards, passing touchdowns, passing yards per gain (308.8), and quarterback rating (77.6). On the ground, Mahomes had 61 rushes for 358 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns.
Mahomes was also recognized for leading the Chiefs to a Super Bowl championship. Kansas City beat Philadelphia 38-35. In the postseason, Mahomes completed 72 passes in 100 attempts for 703 passing yards, seven passing touchdowns and zero interceptions. He had 234.3 passing yards per game, and a quarterback rating of 114.7. On the ground in the postseason, Mahomes had 12 rushes for 60 rushing yards.
The Chiefs were also named the ESPY best team of the year. Kansas City had a regular season record of 14 wins and three losses. Meanwhile, the Buffalo Bills training staff won the Pat Tillman Award for Service for helping save the life of safety Damar Hamlin of McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania. Hamlin collapsed on the football field in the Bills game agains the Cincinnati Bengals late in the regular season. Also, Jefferson received the Best Play Award for a great one-handed catch he had this season for the Minnesota Vikings in a 33-30 Minnesota overtime win over the Bills on November 13.
