All the talk in the lead up to the Super Bowl was could Patrick Mahomes, at 29 years old and only eight years into his career, be on pace to surpass Tom Brady as the NFL’s GOAT quarterback?
It was all on the line for Mahomes – and he did what most of us civilians have mastered over a lifetime of mediocrity – messing up big moments.
In doing so, Mahomes extinguished himself from the so-called debate against seven-time champion Brady – a debate that doesn’t hold weight with many former NFL players.
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Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes are two of the all-time greats. Getty
Most sports commentators and fans alike were expecting to anoint Mahomes as the new king of the sport in the aftermath, with the Chiefs going into the match up as favourites, and virtually all observers expecting Mahomes, Kelce and company to pull out a result late, like they had been doing all season long.
But Mahomes stumbled unexpectedly – something the average fan is not used to.
Brady was on commentary duty for Fox Sports and wasn’t overly jovial throughout the GOAT-defining experience, although he was heard giggling here and there throughout the broadcast.
If he wasn’t overly happy on the outside, you can bet the inner competitor in the former New England legend was glowing, knowing there was to be no argument over his legacy, so early into Mahomes’ career.
“This is probably the best moment of Brady’s career since he retired,” Bill Simmons said on his own podcast.
“Because it was a lot of, ‘Mahomes, Mahomes, Mahomes. Is he the GOAT? Well if he gets his three-peat, Brady’s never done that.’
“And now he goes down with two Super Bowl blowout losses. Brady had zero. Brady lost three times in the Super Bowl, all one score games where he had the ball on the last drive with a chance to like steal the game. Never got blown out.
“And then, and then he beat Mahomes twice — 2-0 in the playoffs. And it’s like, can we f—ing settle down now for five years with the Mahomes GOAT stuff? Thank you.”
If Mahomes was to be any chance of snaring the mantle as the most accomplished quarterback ever in the sport, the three-peat would’ve certainly helped.
No NFL player has achieved the feat and it would’ve put him in a league of his own.
Mahomes has a clear edge over Brady in nearly every statistical category relevant to quarterbacks in their first eight seasons, although sceptics would point to the different eras in which the two players spent the first chunk of their careers.
Through the same number of starts, Mahomes holds a 106-27 record, nearly identical to Brady’s 104-29 mark.
Mahomes’ two Super Bowl losses have been much more lopsided, with a combined 40-point deficit.
But data can get skewed depending on who’s making the case and Mahomes supporters will remind all that Brady went 10 years without winning a Super Bowl from 2004 to 2014, when he was in his prime from the age of 27-37.
Some say if Mahomes had won, it would have put him in the Michael Jordan category and his fourth Super Bowl victory would have put him more than halfway towards the chase for Brady’s seven.
“It’s officially over,” Stephen A. Smith said on ESPN.
“I’m not saying there’s nothing you can do. We could be talking about this right now, we’re gonna be talking about this next year.
“He’s phenomenal. He’s great. One game doesn’t make Patrick Mahomes, a three-time Super Bowl MVP.
“We know what that is, but in the end, you talk about that GOAT conversation that went the hell out the window last night at Super Bowl LIX.”
Going into the match in New Orleans, Mahomes had lost only three times in 20 playoff games, and two of those losses were to Brady.
Brady was calling the Super Bowl. Getty/Twitter
Brady’s Patriots defeated Mahomes in the 2018 AFC championship game with the recently retired icon taking the spoils again with the Buccaneers in Super Bowl 55.
Both had a 3-2 record after their first five Super Bowl appearances over the same span.
Brady threw for a combined nine touchdowns against two interceptions, with 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions for Mahomes.
Mahomes needed three touchdown passes to pass Joe Montana and Aaron Rodgers (45) for second most in NFL playoff history. Brady had 88.
While the loss is crushing and difficult to swallow for Mahomes, it does not discount him from the GOAT conversation long-term.
He still has plenty of time, especially considering he has built a reputation for liking to leave things late.
All three of his Super Bowl titles came after trailing by 10 points and he also led Kansas City to 17 consecutive one-score wins this season.
