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Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes named top player in NFL by his peers for first time
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- Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes named top player in NFL by his peers for first time
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was named the best player in the NFL by his peers in NFL Network's annual countdown of the league's top 100 players .
It's the first time in his career Mahomes has secured the honor atop "The Top 100 Players" list, after finishing fourth in 2019 and fourth in 2020. Mahomes had made note of his fourth-place finish on the 2020 list , which came after he led the Chiefs to their first Super Bowl title in 50 years, which in turn came a year after he threw for 50 touchdowns and over 5,000 yards in his MVP-winning 2018 campaign.
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Mahomes earned the top spot this year, as voted by current NFL players, after going 14-1 as the Chiefs' starter with 4,740 yards and 38 touchdowns to just six interceptions. The Chiefs defended their AFC crown but fell to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Super Bowl.
He finished ahead of reigning defensive player of the year Aaron Donald , who took first in the player poll in 2019, reigning NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers — who took first back in 2012 — as well as reigning rushing champion Derrick Henry and teammate Travis Kelce .
Tom Brady , who earned his record seventh Super Bowl ring by guiding the Buccaneers past the Chiefs in the Super Bowl, placed seventh on this year's list.
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The "Top 100 Players of 2021" can be viewed in its entirety in the gallery below.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NFL Top 100 Players of 2021: Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes No. 1
