Patrick Mahomes helped lead the Kansas City Chiefs out of a funk to start the season, guiding them to five wins in six games after suffering an 0-2 start.

But their fast-rising playoff hopes took a big hit in the team’s Week 9 loss to the Buffalo Bills, dropping them out of the playoff bracket and dealing a big hit to Mahomes’ hopes for a third career MVP award. Those hopes grew even more dim during the bye week, with Mahomes watching some rival players push him out at the top of the MVP ladder.

Patrick Mahomes Fading From MVP List

Scott Phillips of The Athletic noted that Mahomes dropped out of the top 2 when it comes to MVP odds, watching his hopes fade after a career-worst performance in a loss to the Bills.

Phillips noted that Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is now seen as the favorite to win MVP, followed by New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye. Mahomes came in third, tied with Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor.

Bills quarterback Josh Allen also took a major hit when his team suffered a shocking loss to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, Phillips added.

“The familiar two-man battle for MVP between Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes completely changed course after Week 10, with both losing their spots atop the odds board,” Phillips wrote. “In fact, the Buffalo Bills’ surprising loss in Miami, coupled with Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs only sitting at a modest 5-4, makes for a wide-open MVP race.”

Mahomes has won league MVP honors twice already and a third would give a major boost to his career and Hall of Fame resume. A third MVP trophy would tie Mahomes with Tom Brady, Jim Brown, Brett Favre, and Jonny Unitas for the third-most all-time.

Patrick Mahomes Has Chance to Bounce Back

While the Chiefs have fallen to the No. 8 spot in the AFC, they have a chance to start making up ground with a difficult stretch of games coming up. As Phillips wrote, Mahomes can also jump back into the MVP conversation if he leads the Chiefs through the gauntlet of top opponents.

“Recency bias certainly played a part in Stafford, Maye and Taylor jumping the two familiar MVP faces. It also shows that Mahomes and Allen have more work to do with a field full of strong contenders,” Phillips wrote.

“Kansas City exits its bye with back-to-back games against Denver and Indianapolis. Should the Chiefs beat both AFC playoff hopefuls, Mahomes could restore his odds for the stretch run.”

After the games against division-leading Denver and Indianapolis, the Chiefs have a relatively easy schedule to end the season. SI.com writer Andy Quach wrote that Mahomes may need to revert to his MVP form to bring his team back into Super Bowl contention.

“They have the 16th-easiest remaining schedule, according to ESPN’s football power index, but they’ll have to take care of business if they want to win the AFC West or even claim one of the three Wild Card spots,” Quach wrote. “They’ll need an MVP-level performance out of Mahomes in the second half of the season.”