Patrick Mahomes has Tom Brady within the crosshairs. Or does he? For the fourth time within the final 5 seasons, the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs are within the Super Bowl with Mahomes below heart. The 2-time NFL MVP might be enjoying for the third Super Bowl of his profession, which legitimately has him on a trajectory to probably unseat Brady as the best participant the NFL has ever witnessed.
While you evaluate the primary six seasons of Brady and Mahomes’ careers, the Chiefs QB has the sting in wins (common season and postseason), AFC Championship titles, passer ranking and TD-INT ratio. The one spot the place Brady at the moment has the sting over that stretch is a 3-2 lead in Tremendous Bowl titles, which Mahomes can tie with a win over the San Francisco 49ers in a few weeks at Tremendous Bowl LVIII.
Naturally, all that pushes the dialogue as to whether or not he can catch Brady. It is a honest dialog to have and in bounds contemplating what we have witnessed him accomplish over his first six years because the full-time starter. Nevertheless, there are some speaking heads decreeing he already has reached that mountaintop, which, in fact, is untimely. And simply how far Mahomes nonetheless must go — regardless of this sensational begin — is price highlighting.
Let’s work below the belief that the Chiefs do defeat the Niners to say Mahomes’ third Tremendous Bowl title. Congrats, you are just below midway there to catch Brady’s document seven Lombardi Trophies.
And the way will we issue of their head-to-head matchups for this jockeying of all-time standing? Even when Mahomes matches Brady’s seven, the elder statesman owns a 2-0 playoff document towards him on among the largest phases that the NFL has to supply: the 2018 AFC Championship (with Patriots) and Tremendous Bowl LV (with Buccaneers).
This is not the identical situation that Brady discovered himself in as he appeared to unseat Joe Montana for this mantle and even — if we develop exterior of soccer — what LeBron James is attempting to perform towards Michael Jordan. Mahomes is not chasing a ghost. These all-time greats have crossed paths with each other, not only for a random Week 4 matchup within the common season, however they had been do-or-die, legacy-making video games and Brady swept the sequence.
With that in thoughts, Mahomes cannot simply match Brady’s title totals. He kind of must blow him out of the water to make up for these playoff losses, particularly that head-to-head loss in Tremendous Bowl LV.
Longevity was Brady’s biggest energy on this race for immortality and will show to be Mahomes’ biggest adversary as he appears to be like to grab “The GOAT” title. Brady performed for a complete of 23 seasons and up till he was 45. Mahomes is wrapping up his age-28 season, which suggests he does have loads of room to run, which is why we’re having this dialog within the first place.
However let’s tack on 12 extra seasons to Mahomes’ present numbers to get to him by means of his age-40 season. Beneath, we now have added his present totals to his profession averages because the full-time starter (ex. Mahomes’ 5,036 passing yards common from 2018-2023) multiplied over 12 extra years to see the place he’d stack up.
Common season head-to-head
|
Passing yards |
88,856 |
89,214 |
|
Passing touchdowns |
687 |
649 |
|
Completions |
7,462 |
7,753 |
|
Wins |
222 |
251 |
If Mahomes maintains good well being and performs by means of his age-40 season (a practical milestone contemplating QBs in at present’s NFL), he’ll get inside vary of Brady’s all-time regular-season totals, however nonetheless come up brief in some areas. With that head-to-head benefit in favor of Brady, that will require Mahomes to imitate his opponent and play deep into his 40s to pump up these numbers and separate himself throughout the board.
From the attention take a look at, everybody may have their choice as to who’s the best quarterback they’ve ever seen. Some will say Brady, others will say Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers, Joe Montana, Roger Staubach, and even Mahomes. However the résumé speaks for itself and at the moment places the crown on Brady’s head. Whereas Mahomes could also be on the correct path to finally get there sooner or later, he has an extended strategy to go than some might notice.
