Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15), a former Whitehouse High School standout, was fired up after running in for a touchdown in the first quarter against the Houston Texans on Dec. 21 at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. (Tammy Ljungblad/Kansas City Star/TNS)

For the first time since he became an NFL starter, Patrick Mahomes is not a Pro Bowler.

The superstar quarterback, whose Kansas City Chiefs are an NFL-best 15-1, was among the most notable omissions when the selections for the 2025 Pro Bowl Games came out Thursday.

Instead, the Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen was voted to be the AFC’s starting quarterback, while the Baltimore Ravens’ Lamar Jackson and the Cincinnati Bengals’ Joe Burrow were named reserves.

All three boast much gaudier statistics than Mahomes, who has made six Pro Bowls since becoming the Chiefs’ starting quarterback in 2018. Burrow leads the NFL with 42 touchdown passes, while Allen and Jackson have both totaled at least 40 touchdowns between the air and ground.

But Mahomes, a three-time Super Bowl winner who is currently pursuing an unprecedented third consecutive championship, is the best player on the NFL’s best team. His five fourth-quarter comebacks and seven game-winning drives lead the NFL.

It’s the latest example that statistics do not tell the entire story.

Mahomes’ 3,928 passing yards rank third in the AFC, while his 26 touchdown passes and 67.5% completion percentage both rank fourth. He has thrown 11 interceptions.

His numbers are not far off from those of Aaron Rodgers, who has completed 63% of his passes for 3,623 yards, 24 touchdowns and 11 interceptions for the 4-12 Jets.

Mahomes, 29, led the Chiefs to the AFC’s No. 1 seed despite losing his No. 1 wide receiver, Rashee Rice, to a season-ending knee injury in Week 4. He also played without veteran speedster Marquis “Hollywood” Brown for the first 14 games due to a shoulder injury.

Kansas City’s leading receivers this season are 35-year-old Travis Kelce (823 yards) and rookie Xavier Worthy (638).

On the other hand, the Chiefs have not been as dominant as their 15-1 record suggests.

In Week 1, Isaiah Likely’s toe landed out of bounds on a would-be-game-tying touchdown at the end of the Chiefs’ 27-20 victory over the Ravens.

In Week 2, a questionable pass interference call on fourth-and-16 with 38 seconds remaining extended what ended up being a game-winning field-goal drive in the Chiefs’ 26-25 win over the Bengals.

In Week 9, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers opted to kick a game-tying extra point with 27 seconds left in regulation rather than go for two — and the win — on the road. The Chiefs won the coin toss in overtime and scored an opening-possession touchdown, preventing the Bucs’ offense from seeing the ball again.

In Week 10, the Chiefs blocked the Denver Broncos’ would-be-game-winning 35-yard field goal as time expired to escape with a 16-14 win.

In Week 13, the Las Vegas Raiders botched a snap with 15 seconds remaining in regulation and lost a fumble, ending a potential game-winning drive while already in field goal range. The Chiefs left with a 19-17 victory.

And in Week 14, Chiefs kicker Matthew Wright doinked a 31-yard field goal attempt off the left upright, only for the ball to carom through the goal posts as time expired, giving Kansas City a 19-17 win over the Los Angeles Chargers.

None of this takes anything away from the Chiefs, but it does serve as a reminder that it’s been an especially strange season for Kansas City.

And Mahomes being left off of the Pro Bowl roster is the latest abnormality.

Mahomes could still end up making the Pro Bowl Games, which are set to take place on Jan. 30 and Feb. 2 — the week before Super Bowl LIX — at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla.

Pro Bowl alternates are yet to be announced, and at the very least, the players whose teams make the Super Bowl will need to be replaced.

Of course, Mahomes plans to be playing in the Super Bowl — not the Pro Bowl Games.

____

©2025 New York Daily News. Visit nydailynews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

—

2025 AFC Pro Bowl Games roster by position

OFFENSE

• Denotes starter
• Quarterback: Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills; Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals; Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens; Running back: Derrick Henry, Baltimore Ravens; Joe Mixon, Houston Texans; Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts; Fullback: Patrick Ricard, Baltimore Ravens; Wide receiver: Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals; Jerry Jeudy, Cleveland Browns; Nico Collins, Houston Texans; Zay Flowers, Baltimore Ravens; Tight end: Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders; Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs; Offensive tackle: Dion Dawkins, Buffalo Bills; Laremy Tunsil, Houston Texans; Rashawn Slater, Los Angeles Chargers; Offensive guard: Quenton Nelson, Indianapolis Colts; Joe Thuney, Kansas City Chiefs; Trey Smith, Kansas City Chiefs; Center: Creed Humphrey, Kansas City Chiefs; Tyler Linderbaum, Baltimore Ravens.

DEFENSE

• Defensive end: Myles Garrett, Cleveland Browns; Trey Hendrickson, Cincinnati Bengals; Maxx Crosby, Las Vegas Raiders; Interior linemen: Cameron Heyward, Pittsburgh Steelers; Chris Jones, Kansas City Chiefs; Nnamdi Madubuike, Baltimore Ravens; Outside linebacker: Nik Bonitto, Denver Broncos; T.J. Watt, Pittsburgh Steelers; Khalil Mack, Los Angeles Chargers; Inside/middle linebacker: Roquan Smith, Baltimore Ravens; Zaire Franklin, Indianapolis Colts; Cornerback: Derek Stingley Jr., Houston Texans; Patrick Surtain II, Denver Broncos; Marlon Humphrey, Baltimore Ravens; Denzel Ward, Cleveland Browns; Free safety: Minkah Fitzpatrick, Pittsburgh Steelers; Strong safety: Kyle Hamilton, Baltimore Ravens; Derwin James, Los Angeles Chargers.

SPECIAL TEAMS

• Long snapper: Ross Matiscik, Jacksonville Jaguars; Punter: Logan Cooke, Jacksonville Jaguars; Placekicker: Chris Boswell, Pittsburgh Steelers; Return specialist: Marvin Mims Jr., Denver Broncos; Special teamer: Brenden Schooler, New England Patriots.

2025 NFC Pro Bowl Games roster by position

OFFENSE

• Quarterback: Jared Goff, Detroit Lions; Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders; Sam Darnold, Minnesota Vikings; Running back: Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia Eagles; Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit Lions; Josh Jacobs, Green Bay Packers; Fullback: Kyle Juszczyk, WideSan Francisco 49ers; receiver: Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings; Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions; CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys; Terry McLaurin, Washington Commanders; Tight end: George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers; Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals; Offensive tackle: Lane Johnson, Philadelphia Eagles; Landon Dickerson, Philadelphia Eagles; Tyler Smith, Dallas Cowboys; Chris Lindstrom, Atlanta Falcons; Center: Frank Ragnow, Detroit LionsCam Jurgens, Philadelphia Eagles.

DEFENSE

• Defensive end: Nick Bosa, San Francisco 49ers; Micah Parsons, Dallas Cowboys; Rashan Gary, Green Bay Packers; Interior linemen: Jalen Carter, Philadelphia Eagles; Dexter Lawrence, New York Giants; Vita Vea, Tampa Bay Buccaneers; Outside linebacker: Jonathan Greenard, Minnesota Vikings; Andrew Van Ginkel, Minnesota Vikings; Jared Verse, Los Angeles Rams; Inside/middle linebacker: Fred Warner, San Francisco 49ers; Zack Baun, Philadelphia Eagles; Cornerback: Jaylen Johnson, Chicago Bears; Byron Murphy, Minnesota Vikings; Jaycee Horn, Carolina Panthers; Devon Witherspoon, Seattle Seahawks; Free safety: Xavier McKinney, Green Bay Packers; Strong safety: Budda Baker, Arizona Cardinals; Brian Branch, Detroit Lions.

SPECIAL TEAMS

• Long snapper: Andrew DePaola, Minnesota Vikings; Punter: Jack Fox, Detroit Lions; Placekicker: Brandon Aubrey, Dallas Cowboys; Return specialist: KaVontae Turpin, Dallas Cowboys; Special teamer: KhaDarel Hodge, Atlanta Falcons.