There have only been 11 quarterbacks in NFL history who have thrown for 40 touchdowns in a season. The list is a who’s who of stellar quarterbacks.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield is set to join that list. But he wasn’t on another list: the NFC Pro Bowl roster.
Every time an All-Star or Pro Bowl roster is announced, the focus is on those who didn’t make it. And while many players should be upset about the Pro Bowl’s flawed voting process, a few definitely have a gripe. Mayfield might be at the top of that list.
Mayfield has 4,279 yards and 39 touchdowns. He has a Buccaneers win (or an Atlanta Falcons loss) in an NFC South championship. He posted these numbers with Chris Godwin out for much of the season and Mike Evans missing several games.
Yet Mayfield was unable to place among the top three quarterbacks in the NFC in Pro Bowl voting.
Who were the biggest Pro Bowl snubs?
The problem with complaining about Mayfield, or any other fantasy player, being left off the Pro Bowl roster is figuring out who needed to be left out. It’s not like there’s an NFC quarterback who isn’t deserving. The three who made it were 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 had solid seasons for 14-2 teams. It’s hard to leave any of them out, even though Mayfield is also clearly having a Pro Bowl-level season.
Mayfield isn’t the only player complaining. Here are a few others:
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes: Let’s get this one out of the way. It seems odd that Mahomes, in a season where the Chiefs are 15-1, isn’t making the Pro Bowl. But he didn’t have a better individual season than the AFC’s three quarterbacks: Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen. So while it seems odd and may be considered a snub by some, if you want to include Mahomes, you also have to list which AFC quarterback gets the start.
Philadelphia OT Jordan Mailata: He missed four games due to injury, which likely cost him a spot. Mailata is Pro Football Focus’ highest-rated tackle in the NFL this season. He allowed just one sack on 213 pass-blocking snaps, via PFF.
Kerby Joseph of the Detroit Lions: The Lions have two fantastic safeties. Brian Branch made the Pro Bowl and Joseph was left behind. Joseph leads the NFL with nine interceptions. As for advanced stats, his coverage EPA (expected points added) is -55.3 per Next Gen Stats, which beats the NFL by a mile.
Kyren Williams, Los Angeles Rams running back: Williams is third in the NFL with 1,299 yards and tied for second with 14 rushing touchdowns. He has been a real workhorse for the Rams. It’s hard to leave out Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs or Jahmyr Gibbs, but Williams should feel like he deserves a spot.
Denver Broncos DL Zach Allen: The Broncos are in a good position to make the playoffs, have had a good defense all season and Allen has been a big part of that. 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 understand why Thomas didn’t succeed. 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 beat him. Thomas has more yards than both of them and more touchdowns than Jeudy and Flowers combined. This is a blatant snub.
Houston Texans DE Danielle Hunter: Hunter had a great season, with 12 sacks. He also leads the NFL in pass rush success 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 is 10th in the NFL with 96 catches and ninth with 1,121 yards. It was a difficult group to break into.
Buffalo Bills CB Christian Benford: Benford has been excellent for one of the best teams in the NFL. He allowed just 36 catches for 320 yards in coverage all season, according to Next Gen Stats. Benford is only in his third season in the NFL and is expected to become a Pro Bowler soon.
