After Patrick Mahomes played a pivotal role in leading the Kansas City Chiefs to their fourth Super Bowl appearance in five years, inevitable comparisons arose regarding his standing in comparison to New England Patriots legend Tom Brady.
In his sixth season as a starter, Mahomes has already secured two Super Bowl victories and is on the verge of participating in his fourth. Comparatively, during Brady’s initial six seasons as the starter, he guided the New England Patriots to three championships. With Mahomes potentially matching that accomplishment with a win in two weeks, discussions are intensifying about where these two highly skilled quarterbacks rank historically.
On a recent episode of ESPN’s “First Take” on Monday, Shannon Sharpe, a three-time Super Bowl champion, expressed a preference for Mahomes over Brady in a hypothetical title game.
“I’m choosing Mahomes because he possesses all of Brady’s abilities and more,” Sharpe explained. “His agility and versatility set him apart. We’ve witnessed it consistently. He made incredible runs against the Texans when they were down 24-0 in the 2019 playoffs. Against the Tennessee Titans, we saw him navigate through adversity. In last year’s Super Bowl, despite dealing with an injured ankle, he made critical plays against the Philadelphia Eagles.”
Sharpe elaborated further: “We witnessed it once again yesterday. Time and time again, he evaded trouble, showcasing his ability to change arm angles and throw accurately. Whether rolling left or right, he can deliver the ball with precision and launch it over defenders. In the first seven seasons, he’s ahead of Brady by 70 touchdowns.”
Mahomes is undeniably approaching comparable levels to Brady in their initial six seasons as starting quarterbacks. However, when it comes to all-time rankings and matching Brady’s accolades, Mahomes may still have a significant distance to cover. Brady boasts five more championships, and notably, in the context of this specific comparison, he holds a perfect playoff record against Mahomes. Brady secured victories in the 2018 AFC Championship Game with the New England Patriots and Super Bowl LV with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, establishing a notable edge in head-to-head playoff matchups.
Mahomes is set to further pursue Brady’s legacy when the Chiefs take on the 49ers at Allegiant Stadium at 6:30 p.m. ET on February 11th.
