Legacy implications on the line
Super Bowl will show if Mahomes can surpass Brady
Tom Brady is the greatest quarterback, and arguably the greatest football player ever.
For the time being.
Ten years from now, that distinction very well may belong to someone else, and the name of that someone is Patrick Mahomes. The Kansas City Chiefs’ quarterback is the only realistic candidate to put together the type of career that could snatch the best- QB-ever crown off Brady’s head.
In two weeks, we’ll have further clarity as to just how possible it will be for Mahomes to someday overtake Brady. On Sunday, Feb. 7, Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers will meet Mahomes’ Chiefs in Super Bowl LV.
It’s a mouth-watering matchup for the ages. The 43-year-old Brady as Yoda and the 25-year-old Mahomes as Grogu.
On the surface, it feels like there’s nothing more for Brady to accomplish in the NFL. He’s going to his 10th Super Bowl — a stat so ridiculous it feels silly to put in print — and he’s already won six of them with the New England Patriots. In Year 1 with the Buccaneers, a longtime doormat NFL franchise, Brady has guided them to a championship game that will be played in the Bucs’ home
stadium. It’s the first time ever that a franchise has played for the Lombardi Trophy on its own field, so you can add another note to Brady’s resume, which is now starting to seem longer than “War and Peace.”
Brady has won three MVPs, he’s a 14-time Pro Bowler, he’s led the league in touchdown passes four times and passing yards three times. Age doesn’t seem to matter for him. He’s like a real-life Benja
min Button and a walking endorsement for pliability and avocado ice cream.
It’s just been remarkable, and he deserves enormous credit.
But here’s the caveat: Mahomes is coming fullspeed toward Brady and is doing things at a young age that we have never seen a quarterback do.
That’s why this Super Bowl does in fact matter for Brady. It’s not merely icing on a gluten-free cake. There is more that Brady can prove and, in the process, also protect the future of his legacy.
Mahomes is playing in his second straight Super
Bowl, after his MVP performance led the Chiefs to a win over the San Francisco 49ers last year. He’s also been a regular season MVP and a three-time Pro Bowler. For his three-year career as a starter, he’s 38- 8 in the regular season with 114 touchdown passes and just 24 interceptions.
He’s 6-1 in the playoffs with 17 touchdown passes, six touchdown runs and just two interceptions. He’s been to at least the AFC Championship game every year he’s been a starter.
That one playoff loss? Well, that came against Brady in the AFC title game on Jan. 20, 2019. The Patriots won, 37-31, in overtime. Mahomes outplayed Brady in that game but he never saw the ball in OT. If he had, the Chiefs would likely be playing for their third straight championship.
Watching Mahomes play football will put you in a constant haze of astonishment. He does things that you didn’t think a QB could do, and he makes it look easy.
Brady has never been the most talented quarterback. He has a strong arm, for sure. But his brilliant career has mainly been about intelligence, compo
sure, decision-making and being clutch.
Mahomes possesses all of those intangibles, as well. On top of that, he’s an elite athlete, who can run and extend plays, and has otherworldly arm strength.
If Brady can beat Mahomes in Super Bowl LV, it will further elevate his status, and it will knock Mahomes down a giant peg in his pursuit of Brady. A win for the 43-year-old over the 25-year-old sensation would be the ultimate mic drop, and would really be a fitting finale to Brady’s career, although he shows no signs of wanting to re
tire.
If Mahomes wins, he’ll be in uncharted territory and well on his way to new heights with (health permitting) at least 10 more years to build on his accomplishments.
Brady didn’t win his second Super Bowl until he was 26. He didn’t win his seventh playoff game until he was 27. He didn’t throw his 17 th postseason TD pass until he was 29.
No matter what happens, we’ll be watching two of the best to ever take the field.
But don’t be fooled, legacy implications are always at stake.