Brady vs. Mahomes a Super matchup
Will rivalry produce another instant classic in Super Bowl LV?
The formula for manufacturing instant classics in the NFL is simple.
Pit one all-time quarterback against another, and let them go to work.
Super Bowl LV could hatch an instant classic for several reasons, none better than it will feature Tom Brady, the greatest quarterback of all time, versus Patrick Mahomes, the best in the NFL today. Together, they’ve already produced one of the greatest playoff battles in league history, plus three tight regularseason finishes.
Since first meeting in 2018, Brady and Mahomes have split their matchups 2-2. Mahomes has largely out-played Brady, throwing more touchdowns and fewer interceptions while completing a higher percentage of his passes. Most recently, his Chiefs became the last team to beat Brady and the Bucs, with a close call at Tampa Bay in late November.
Kansas City carried a 17-point lead into the fourth quarter that day, yet nearly let it slip as Brady attempted to mount one of his patented comebacks. Every game between the two greats has been decided by one score, often with tremendous drama. Super Bowl LV figures to be no different.
So if history repeats itself on Super Sunday, here’s a look at the shared past upon which Brady and Mahomes will be building their most-anticipated matchup yet.
Patriots 43, Chiefs 40
Week 6, Oct. 14, 2018 Brady: 24-35, 340 yards, 1 TD Mahomes: 23-36, 352 yards, 4 TDs, 2 INTs
Recap: Tied at 40 with 3:03 remaining, Brady captained a game-winning drive punctuated by Stephen Gostkowski’s 28-yard field goal as time expired. After trailing by 15 at halftime, Mahomes threw four touchdown passes and led another scoring drive to vault Kansas City into a shocking fourth-quarter lead. But Brady and the Pats mustered four field goals and a touchdown of their own in the second half to knock off the previously unbeaten Chiefs on Sunday Night Football.
Patriots 37, Chiefs 31
AFC Championship, Jan. 20, 2019
Brady: 30-46, 348 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs
Mahomes: 16-31, 295 yards, 3 TDs
Recap: One of the greatest games in Patriots franchise history featured not one, not two, but three Brady-led touchdown drives with the game on the line. Sony Michel scored a 10-yard rushing touchdown on fourth down at 3:32 to play to take a late lead, then Brady handed off to Rex Burkhead for another goahead score with 39 seconds left and later the eventual game-winner in overtime. Between those scores and around a critical Kansas City offsides penalty, Brady converted several third-andlongs to keep the Pats alive, as they withstood a 24-point onslaught by the Chiefs in the fourth quarter.
Chiefs 23, Patriots 16
Week 14, Dec. 8, 2019
Brady: 19-35, 169 yards, TD, INT Mahomes: 26-40, 283 yards, TD, INT
Recap: After holding Kansas City scoreless in the first half of the 2019 AFC Championship Game, the Patriots found themselves in a sudden 20-7 hole at halftime of the title rematch. But thanks to a blocked punt and the league’s No. 1 defense, Brady’s bunch hung around to close within a touchdown with minutes remaining. Moments after scrambling for a first down on fourth-and-six, Brady faced another do-or-die snap at Kansas City’s 5-yard line with 1:06 to play. There, he lofted a potential game-tying pass for Julian Edelman only to watch Chiefs cornerback Bashaud Breeland bat it away and clinch a hard-fought win.
Chiefs 27, Buccaneers 24
Week 12, Nov. 29, 2020 Brady: 27-41, 345 yards, 3 TDs, 2 INTs
Mahomes: 37-49, 462 yards, 3 TDs
Recap: Brady again found himself trailing Mahomes 20-7 at the break of their latest battle, one remembered best by Hill’s 269 receiving yards and three touchdowns. As Hill torched Tampa Bay’s secondary, Brady sabotaged his own comeback effort with a pair of third-quarter picks. Yet the Bucs defense bailed him out, forcing three straight punts, which allowed Brady time to recover and fire two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Back with possession at 4:10 left, Mahomes managed to bleed the rest of the clock with two scrambles for first downs and an 8yard completion to Hill on thirdand-7 at midfield, capping arguably his finest performance of the season.