Kansas City, Mo. ? Alex Smith had just led the Kansas City Chiefs to another win in what has become a season full of them when offensive coordinator Doug Pederson was asked to assess his quarterback.

Rarely one to speak in superlatives, Pederson replied quite candidly: “I think he’s probably having the best season of his career, honestly.”

Pick your metric, and it probably backs up that appraisal.

Smith threw for 3,486 yards this season, by far the most of his 10-year career. He completed more than 65 percent of his throws, matching his best mark for a full season. He tossed 20 touchdown passes, second only to his first season in Kansas City. He ran for nearly 500 yards, also a career best.

Then there’s the most important measure: wins. After losing five of their first six, Smith led the Chiefs to 10 consecutive victories to finish the regular season.

He made it 11 with a 30-0 rout of the Houston Texans last Saturday and will try to make it 12 when Smith leads Kansas City into New England for a divisional matchup this Saturday.

“Numbers may not be up there with some of the top guys in the league, but his wins and losses are,” Pederson said. “He’s understanding what we’re asking him to do. We’ve given him more opportunities in games to get us out of certain things or put us into certain things. He’s leading this football team like we knew he was capable of doing, and given us opportunities to win games.”

Smith bristles at the notion that he’s a “game manager,” as if that’s a derogatory term reserved for quarterbacks one step down from elite. But in his case, it may be a flattering description.

Not many signal-callers in the league make fewer mistakes than Smith, who threw just seven picks all season. Few have the same wherewithal to scramble for first downs when a pocket collapses, or check out of a failing play, or chuck the ball out of bounds to avoid a sack.

“He’s very smart in reading coverages,” Patriots cornerback Devin McCourty said. “He’s not always just dropping back and trying to run”

Patriots coach Bill Belichick, who has worked side-by-side with Tom Brady for so many years, also praised Smith’s cerebral nature. Belichick got a full dose of it last year, when Smith was 20-of-26 for 248 yards and three touchdowns without a pick in a 41-14 blowout of Belichick’s team.

“Consistent. Lot of production. Great ball security. Makes a lot of throws,” Belichick said. “He extends plays with his legs, sometimes to throw, sometimes to run. He’s very good at improvising.”