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In the buildup to Super Bowl LIX, there was a lot of talk about Patrick Mahomes’ legacy.
The 29-year-old was playing in his fifth Super Bowl in six years. With a victory, he would become the first quarterback to win three consecutive Super Bowls. He would have four rings before his 30th birthday.
Some posited that would cement Mahomes as not just an all-time great but the all-time great. That a victory would vault him past Tom Brady as the greatest quarterback to ever play in the NFL.
Super Bowl LIX was going to be Mahomes’ coronation, with Brady calling the game, no less.
Well, a funny thing happened on the way to the ceremony. The Philadelphia Eagles apparently had no interest in Mahomes’ legacy, thrashing the Kansas City Chiefs in a game that was nowhere near as close as the 40-22 final score.
For the second time in five Super Bowls, the six-time Pro Bowler didn’t just lose—he was blown out.
That Mahomes is great is indisputable. The Chiefs wouldn’t trade him straight-up for any other quarterback in the league. They would laugh at the notion.
We can chuckle, too, at the notion that he has passed the Golden Boy in the annals of awesome under center. He’s not there yet. In fact, he just got farther away.
During the pre-game show, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce unsurprisingly told Rob Gronkowski of Fox Sports that he already believes Mahomes is the greatest ever to lace them up.
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“I’m gonna say he is, but I’m biased toward what I see in the building,” Kelce said. “I’m gonna say he’s the greatest ever, but I know there’s a pretty valid argument somewhere else.”
Yeah. 10 Super Bowls and seven championships (Including one head-to-head against Mahomes in Super Bowl LV in another blowout) is a pretty valid argument.
It’s not entirely Mahomes’ fault that Kansas City got mollywhopped. It’s not even mostly his fault. The Eagles defensive line completely dominated the line of scrimmage. But just as against the Buccaneers, the signal-caller wilted under the onslaught of Philadelphia’s pressure.
At first glance, Mahomes’ numbers don’t look that bad: 32 attempts, 21 completions, 257 yards, three touchdowns, two picks and a passer rating of 95.4.
However, the yardage and touchdown numbers were artificially inflated in garbage time. Both of his interceptions were absolute killers; one was returned for a score, and the other was inside the Chiefs’ 20 and led to another touchdown.
This game was over by halftime, and those turnovers played as big a part in that as any other factor. Mahomes also lost a fumble that led to a field goal.
As Jeff Howe of The Athletic pointed out, if success in the Super Bowl is the ultimate barometer of quarterback greatness, Mahomes vs. Brady isn’t especially close:
This marked the third time in five Super Bowls that Mahomes threw multiple interceptions. In 10 trips to football’s biggest game, Brady did it once—in the victory over the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX.
Brady also threw for 328 yards and four scores in that game.
In 10 Super Bowls, Brady threw just six picks total. Mahomes now has seven in half as many games.
The duo’s completion percentage in the Super Bowl is nearly identical. But in almost every other statistical category, Brady’s Super Bowl stats are superior. He threw for an average of 303.9 yards per Super Bowl—more than Mahomes. His passer rating in the Super Bowl was 97.7—higher than Mahomes. Brady threw 21 touchdowns against those six picks. Mahomes now has 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Frankly, if you looked at Mahomes’ per-game stats for the Super Bowl without his name attached to them, he wouldn’t be one of the first five quarterbacks you guessed. They have been…OK. Average.
Yes, the 2007 Patriots were one of the greatest offensive juggernauts ever, but you can’t say that Brady’s skill-position talent in the Super Bowl was better than Mahomes’. Brady just consistently played better in the Super Bowl than Mahomes has to this point.
There’s where the caveat comes in: “to this point.”
Before ticked-off Chiefs fans storm my Twitter feed, this isn’t to say Brady will always be higher on the Mount Rushmore of NFL quarterbacks than Mahomes. And it’s fair to argue Mahomes has already worked his way among that foursome—at 29.
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Mahomes may well play in more than 10 Super Bowls. He may well win more than seven. Earlier this week, Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner (who lost to Brady in Super Bowl XXXVI) told the NFL Network that he expects Mahomes to one day take the crown of GOAT from Brady:
“I’m gonna say yes to this question. The reason I’m gonna say yes is because of the nature of how our game has changed. The way people watch our game is different. What I mean by that is that, right now, at the quarterback position, it’s so much about the wow factor, the physical ability, and what this guy can do from a physical standpoint that nobody else can.
“We’ve seen Patrick Mahomes do so many things that make us look and say, maybe he’s the most physically gifted quarterback our game has ever seen. And I believe that is what will ultimately put him over the top.”
After getting shelled in the Super Bowl for the second time, though, Mahomes will just have to wait his turn. Brady was never blown out in a Super Bowl and played in more than any player in NFL history—at any position. He won more than any player in NFL history. And when the lights were brightest, Tommy Terrific was at his best.
Against the Eagles Sunday, Mahomes wasn’t. And it’s fair to wonder if somewhere in the darker corners of his psyche, Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. was happy about that.
Because he’s still the best quarterback to ever lace them up.
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