- Patrick Mahomes is the +225 betting favorite to lead the 2021 NFL playoffs in passing yards.
- The Chiefs have played in the previous two Super Bowls and are currently the odds on favorite to win the AFC conference title.
- Tom Brady, who won the regular season passing title, is second behind Mahomes at +350.
Tom Brady cashed the NFL’s regular-season passing yards title but he isn’t the betting favorite to lead the 2021 NFL playoffs in passing yards.
That distinction belongs to Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes who is looking to lead his team to a third straight AFC title and third straight appearance in the Super Bowl.
Who will lead the playoffs in passing yards?
Patrick Mahomes +225
Tom Brady +325
Josh Allen +650
Joe Burrow +650
Matt Stafford +700
Dak Prescott +800
Aaron Rodgers +850
Kyler Murray +2500
Derek Carr +2500pic.twitter.com/UUDjwiCOWs— Barstool Sportsbook (@BSSportsbook) January 13, 2022
With the Chiefs currently listed as second favorites to win Super Bowl LVI at +450 and the odds on favorite to win the AFC Conference at +185 at the BetOnline App, Mahomes is expected to play more games than the other top contenders.
Mahomes +225 to Lead Playoffs in Passing Yards
Patrick Mahomes is (+225) to lead the playoffs in passing yards ? pic.twitter.com/4LgJaQP3gn
— PFF Bet (@PFF_Bet) January 13, 2022
For the season, Mahomes finished with “only” 4,839 passing yards and 37 passing TDs, both of which ranked “only” fourth among NFL starters this season. This is a big drop from his previous season performance where he threw for 4,740 yards with 38 TDs while playing in two fewer games. Despite that, Mahomes is expected to be ready for the playoffs where he has mostly thrived.
Kansas City is the second seed in the AFC playoffs which means that they will play the wild card round and divisional rounds at Arrowhead Stadium. If history serves us right, Mahomes should have at least two big games in the upcoming playoffs. The Chiefs’ QB is averaging 294.7 passing yards with a QB rating of 116.1 while throwing 15 TDS without an interception when playing at home in the postseason.
In the previous two postseasons, Mahomes has completed 70% of his passes while averaging 299 passing yards per game with 14 TD and zero interceptions against AFC opponents. If the Chiefs beat the Steelers in the wild card round, they will most likely play Josh Allen and the Bills in the divisional round. Mahomes threw 325 yards against Buffalo last season in the AFC title game.
Brady Wins Regular Season Passing Title
Another passing title for Tom Brady, and it’s a new career high with 5,316 passing yards. ?#GoBucs | #NFL pic.twitter.com/cbAheVvo7s
— #SuperWildCard Weekend on NBC (@SNFonNBC) January 10, 2022
Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Tom Brady is second on the odds board at +350. Brady finished with a career-high 5,316 passing yards in 17 regular season games played to win the NFL’s passing title. The future Hall-of-Famer complemented his passing stats with a 43:12 TD: INT ratio.
He completed his regular-season campaign by completing 29-37 passes for 326 yards with three TDs against the Carolina Panthers but with a thin receiving corps that is without Chris Godwin and Antonio Brown, Brady, and the Bucs air attack could encounter problems against much better defensive teams in the playoffs.
Josh Allen and Joe Burrow are tied for third in the odds board at +650. Allen has accounted for the most passing yards per game in NFL playoff history for QBs with at least two wins with 329.5 total offense per game. Meanwhile, Burrow is coming off the first-ever back-to-back 400 passing yard games with 4 TD and zero interceptions in NFL history.