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Patrick Mahomes Is on Track to Become the GOAT with 3rd Super Bowl Win

By Steve BradshawFebruary 12, 2024
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After winning his third Super Bowl, Patrick Mahomes is on track to unseat Tom Brady as the GOAT. Brady will go down as one of the best players of all time, but Mahomes has been on a whole other level through his age-28 season. That said, below, I'll be recapping Super Bowl 58, Mahomes's Playoff Stats, and comparing Brady to Mahomes to determine if Mahomes will become the GOAT when he retires.

 

 

Super Bowl 58

Super Bowl 58 was a nail-biter, with Mahomes and the Chiefs taking down the 49ers 25-22 in overtime. The Chiefs tried to establish the run early but couldn’t get much going, and Mahomes was not being asked to throw the ball much early on, which was frustrating. Even when the Chiefs did throw the ball, Travis Kelce only had one yard in the first half, and the offensive line was getting destroyed.

Coming out of the second half, Mahomes was under pressure once again and sailed a pass, leading to an interception. From then on, Mahomes was flawless. Mahomes led the Chiefs all the way back to their first lead of the Super Bowl before the 49ers reclaimed their lead with under two minutes remaining. Mahomes added to his legacy by driving down the field to set up a field goal and send the Chiefs to overtime.

After Brock Purdy led the 49ers to a field goal, Mahomes had a chance to win his third Super Bowl with a touchdown drive. An overtime drive to win a Superbowl is something Mahomes badly needed to make a statement on his GOAT case. Mahomes made quite the statement, driving down the field before finding Mecole Hardman, of all people, for the walk-off touchdown. Accolades are great, but Mahomes needed a defining moment over Tom Brady, and that drive couldn’t have been any more perfect.

 

 

Mahomes's Playoff Stats

Dominating in the regular season is great, but legacies are built in the playoffs. If you take the first 17 games of Mahomes career (the length of an NFL regular season) and look at his stats, you’ll be shocked. Keep in mind that these playoff games are all against elite teams where the stakes are at an all-time high. In 17 games, Mahomes has thrown for 4,802 passing yards, 39 passing touchdowns, 7 interceptions and a 106.3 Passer Rating.

Mahomes impacts the game in a multitude of different ways, mainly the impact he has with his legs, but these are insane stats nonetheless. Here’s where the comparison to the current GOAT, Tom Brady, starts. In Brady’s first 17 playoff games, he threw for 3,954 yards, 26 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, and an 88.0 passer rating. Mahomes has better stats than Brady in every single category, and it’s really not even close. I understand that stats aren’t everything, but I would argue that based on Mahomes's ability to make plays out of structure and how that impacts a defense, he’s more impactful to his team than Brady in the playoffs.

Patrick Mahomes has now played in 17 Playoff Games - Which is the length of a NFL regular season

In those games his stats are:
? 4802 Passing Yards
? 39 Passing TDs
? 7 INTs
? 106.3 Passer Rating

Against the elite teams Mahomes is still the best of the best ?? pic.twitter.com/LAumMieNLW

— Dylan Mehl (@DylanMehl) January 29, 2024

 

 

Brady Vs Mahomes

Right now, the undisputed GOAT of the NFL is Tom Brady, but based on what Patrick Mahomes has done at only 28 years old, he’s well on his way to taking over that throne. Let me preface this by saying that right now, I believe Brady is still the GOAT because there’s no skepticism about what the rest of his career will look like. Brady has put together a phenomenal resume, and if Mahomes somehow has a poor ending to his career, his current accolades aren’t enough to overtake Brady.

That said, if you compare Brady to Mahomes through their first seven seasons (96 games), Mahomes clearly has the edge. Mahomes has been better than Brady in every category, except Super Bowl wins and Super Bowl MVPs, as they’re now tied. The one argument for Brady is that he’s currently 2-0 against Mahomes in the playoffs. Wins are important, but since they are a team stat as well, let’s compare Mahomes to Brady in those two games.

Patrick Mahomes vs Tom Brady

First 7 Seasons pic.twitter.com/3FAFjjpGvk

— Travis May (@FF_TravisM) February 12, 2024

 

 

In the 2019 AFC championship game, Brady was great, throwing for 348 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. The knock against Brady here is that he threw two interceptions, which can be deadly in a playoff game. Mahomes, on the other hand, threw for 295 yards, three touchdowns, and zero interceptions. It’s close, but keep in mind that Brady had a much better run game, and overall, Mahomes looked like the better player.

Fast forward to the 2021 Super Bowl, where Brady takes down Mahomes once again. Without even looking at the box score, everyone remembers Mahomes running for his life and throwing a Superman pass that hit a wide-open receiver in the face. That’s not an excuse, however, as Brady threw for 201 yards, three touchdowns, and zero interceptions. Mahomes, on the other hand, threw for 270 yards and had zero touchdowns and three interceptions.

After considering all these factors, it’s safe to say that Patrick Mahomes is on track to becoming the GOAT with his 3rd Super Bowl win. Brady has Mahomes beat in one category, head-to-head playoff wins, but even then, Mahomes was arguably just as good as Brady in those games. Outside of that, Mahomes has now tied Brady for Super Bowl wins, Super Bowl MVPs and has surpassed him in all major stats through their first seven seasons. Don’t look now, but Mahomes has a real chance at becoming the first quarterback to win three Super Bowls in a row.