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Patrick Mahomes will be making his third NFL Super Bowl appearance at just 27 and he has a chance to cement his legacy by leading the Chiefs to a second Lombardi Trophy in four years.
As far as active NFL quarterbacks go, Patrick Mahomes is the best of the best. The outcome of Super Bowl LVII will not change that.
However, if the Kansas City Chiefs superstar hopes to challenge Tom Brady for the title of “greatest of all time” then getting a win on Sunday over the Philadelphia Eagles is hugely important.
Mahomes chasing Brady
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A defeat to the Eagles means Mahomes would have one championship through his first six NFL seasons and a 1-2 record in Super Bowl appearances. At the same point in Brady’s career, he had three titles and was 3-0 in Super Bowls.
By almost all metrics, Mahomes has Brady beat thus far, when you only take their first six years in the NFL into consideration.
From Pro Bowls (five to one) and first-team All-Pros (two to zero) to winning percentage (80.0% to 74.4%) and AFC Championship Game appearances (five to three).
Mahomes has been significantly better in every statistical category than Brady was in Years 1-6 and has just won his second NFL Most Valuable Player Award. Brady didn’t win his first until 2007, his eighth year in the league.
Why winning the Super Bowl helps Mahomes case
Crucially, when comparing historically great quarterbacks, passing stats and MVPs matter but Super Bowl titles trump all.
Mahomes could go on to win six MVPs and shatter passing records, but if he doesn’t match or at the very least approach Brady’s unprecedented haul of seven Lombardi Trophies, he will probably remain behind the recently retired Brady in GOAT discussions.
All of these narratives make this week’s game crucial for Mahomes’ legacy, even at the young age of 27. There is a chance for him to close the gap on Brady significantly.
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“It’s gonna be tough,” Mahomes told reporters Monday on Super Bowl Opening Night.
“I mean, seven Super Bowl victories, 10 Super Bowls. There’s a reason why he’s so far ahead of everybody else. It’s hard to do, but I’ll do my best to chase it. But I’ve got to start off with trying to win this one this week.”
The possible Narratives
Win the Super Bowl and he’s hot on Brady’s heels, though he’ll still need to prove he can match the latter’s unprecedented longevity and durability.
Lose, and he’s a one-time Super Bowl winner who’s now faltered in three consecutive postseasons after being blown out by Brady’s Buccaneers in the Super Bowl and squandering an 18-point lead against Cincinnati in last year’s AFC title game.
Brady, of course, lost three Super Bowls during his career but those defeats came after he’d already stacked up three Super Bowl wins.
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Falling to the Eagles would not make Mahomes' pursuit of Brady a lost cause. He should have a long, successful career ahead of him for one of the NFL’s most stable franchises. However, a two-title hole would be hard to climb out of, especially as key collaborators Andy Reid (64) and Travis Kelce (33) inch toward retirement.
As long as he stays healthy, Mahomes has a chance to end his career as the greatest of all time but that target can look a lot more feasible with a win on Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles.
- The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Pulse Sports
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