photo by: Associated Press

Chiefs coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes were named top in their fields by AP writers.

Patrick Mahomes still stands on top among NFL quarterbacks.

The three-time Super Bowl MVP was voted the NFL’s No. 1 quarterback by The Associated Press in a preseason survey.

This time, he had more competition for the top spot after being a unanimous choice in 2023 and 2024.

A panel of eight AP Pro Football Writers ranked the top five players at quarterback, basing selections on current status entering the 2025 season. First-place votes were worth 10 points. Second through fifth-place votes were worth 5, 3, 2 and 1 points.

Mahomes, who led the Kansas City Chiefs to consecutive Super Bowl titles in the 2022-23 seasons, finished with five first-place votes in the latest poll. Reigning NFL MVP Josh Allen got two, finishing second. Joe Burrow received the other first-place vote and came in third.

Two-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson finished fourth and Jalen Hurts, who outplayed Mahomes in Philadelphia’s dominant Super Bowl victory over Mahomes and the Chiefs, was fifth. Jayden Daniels and C.J. Stroud also received votes.

1. PATRICK MAHOMES, Kansas City Chiefs

Mahomes had a career-low 3,928 yards passing and tied for his fewest touchdown passes with 26, but still led the Chiefs to their third straight Super Bowl appearance and fifth in his seven years as the starting QB.

Mahomes, who turns 30 in September, has a chance to become only the fourth quarterback to win four Super Bowls.

He received two second-place votes and one fourth.

2. JOSH ALLEN, Buffalo Bills

Allen led Buffalo to a fifth straight AFC East title and edged Jackson for the MVP award last season. But Allen and the Bills again were knocked out of the playoffs by Mahomes and the Chiefs, losing in the AFC title game.

Allen threw for 3,731 yards, 28 TDs and had six picks for a 101.4 passer rating. He ran for 531 yards and 12 scores, becoming the first player in NFL history to have five consecutive seasons with at least 40 total touchdowns.

He got three second-place votes, one third and two fourths.

3. JOE BURROW, Cincinnati Bengals

Burrow set career highs last season in nearly every passing category, including yards (4,918), TD passes (43) and QB rating (108.5). He earned his second AP Comeback Player of the Year award but the Bengals couldn’t overcome another slow start and missed the playoffs with a 9-8 record.

Burrow, who started 17 games last season for the first time in his career, received a second-place vote, two thirds and three fourths.

4. LAMAR JACKSON, Baltimore Ravens

Jackson is coming off his third All-Pro season and the best all-around year of his career. He threw for 4,172 yards, 41 TDs and only four interceptions, and led the NFL with a 119.6 passer rating. He also ran for 915 yards and four scores.

But Jackson and the Ravens fell short in the playoffs again, losing to the Bills in the divisional round.

Jackson got one second-place vote, four thirds, two fourths and one fifth.

5. JALEN HURTS, Philadelphia Eagles

The Super Bowl MVP appeared on just four of eight ballots despite leading the Eagles to their second NFC championship victory in three years.

Hurts, who got one second-place vote, one third and two fifths, had 2,903 yards passing, 18 TDs and only five picks last season. He ran for 630 yards and 14 scores.

Hurts’ seven total touchdowns are the most ever by a quarterback in his first two Super Bowls.

COACHES

Andy Reid remains the standard for NFL coaches.

Reid and the Kansas City Chiefs fell short in their quest to become the first team to three-peat in the Super Bowl era and were dominated by the Philadelphia Eagles for the NFL title.

Still, Reid was a near-unanimous choice for the NFL’s No. 1 coach by The Associated Press in a preseason survey.

Reid, who has three Super Bowl rings and leads two different franchises in victories, received seven first-place vote and one second. Nick Sirianni, who led the Philadelphia Eagles to a 40-22 victory over Reid and the Chiefs in the Super Bowl, got the other first-place vote.

Baltimore’s John Harbaugh finished one point ahead of Sirianni for second place on the list. Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay came in fourth and Buffalo’s Sean McDermott was fifth.

Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh, Denver’s Sean Payton, Green Bay’s Matt LaFleur, Minnesota’s Kevin O’Connell, San Francisco’s Kyle Shanahan, New England’s Mike Vrabel and Pittsburgh’s Mike Tomlin also received votes.

1. ANDY REID, Kansas City Chiefs

Reid was the most successful coach in the history of the Eagles before going to Kansas City and turning the Chiefs into a dynasty.

Under Reid, the Chiefs have had 12 straight winning seasons, made 11 playoff appearances, won nine consecutive AFC West titles and reached five Super Bowls in the past six years.

Reid guided the Eagles to five NFC title games and one Super Bowl between 1999-2012. He is fourth on the career list with 301 victories.

2. JOHN HARBAUGH, Baltimore Ravens

Harbaugh has led the Ravens to 15 winning seasons in 17 years and beat his brother to earn his only Super Bowl ring following the 2012 season.

Baltimore is 4-7 in the playoffs since that victory and twice failed to advance to the Super Bowl despite earning the AFC’s No. 1 seed.

Harbaugh is 179-113. He got three second-place votes, four thirds and one fifth.

3. NICK SIRIANNI, Philadelphia Eagles

Sirianni has led the Eagles to the playoffs in each of his four seasons and became the second coach to guide the franchise to a Super Bowl victory.

He’s 54-23 and his .701 winning percentage is fourth best all time.

Despite his success, Sirianni has been a lightning rod for criticism through his tenure in Philadelphia. Critics called for his firing when the Eagles started 2-2 last season. But Sirianni led the Eagles to 10 straight wins and 16 of 17, capped by a dominant performance against the Chiefs in the Super Bowl when Philadelphia jumped out to a 34-0 lead.

Sirianni got two second-place votes, two thirds and one fourth, appearing on seven of eight ballots.

4. SEAN MCVAY, Los Angeles Rams

After leading the young, rebuilding Rams to 10 wins and a playoff appearance in 2023, McVay guided Los Angeles to an NFC West title and a playoff win over 14-win Minnesota.

The Rams were 13 yards away from scoring a go-ahead touchdown against Philadelphia in the divisional round before a sack and incomplete pass ended their season.

McVay has six double-digit win seasons in eight years and has won and lost a Super Bowl.

He received two second-place votes, two thirds and one fourth.

5. SEAN MCDERMOTT, Buffalo Bills

The Bills have won five straight AFC East titles since Tom Brady left New England they’ve reached the playoffs seven times in eight seasons under McDermott.

McDermott’s .624 winning percentage is fifth best among active coaches with a minimum of four seasons.

He edged Jim Harbaugh and Payton for the fifth spot, receiving two fourth-place votes and one fifth.