After an upset win in the AFC Championship Game, Kansas City Chiefs’ quarterback Patrick Mahomes is headed to another Super Bowl and inching closer to the record pace of former New England Patriots legend Tom Brady.
In a world turned upside down, Bill Belichick is gone. So may be Tom Brady’s seemingly unbreakable records.
With the Kansas City Chiefs’ upset win over the Baltimore Ravens in Sunday’s AFC Championship Game, quarterback Patrick Mahomes is inching closer to the playoff success that was thought unattainable when authored by Brady as the leader of the New England Patriots.
Mahomes has been the Chiefs’ starter for six years. He’s been to six AFC Championship Games and is now on his way to his fourth Super Bowl Feb. 11 in Las Vegas. He’s still only 28 years old.
By comparison, Brady – widely considered the GOAT of NFL quarterbacks – at 28 had three AFC titles and three Super Bowl wins. Mahomes is 14-3 in the playoffs, including his two Super Bowl wins. Brady started his career 12-2 in the postseason.
Make no mistake, Mahomes and Brady are closer than we think.
When Brady retired at age 45, the general consensus was that no one would ever approach his record seven Super Bowl wins. But is Mahomes suddenly the baby goat, er, “kid”?
Taking a closer look, one could argue that Mahomes is off to an even faster start than Brady. At age 28:
Super Bowl Victories: Brady 3, Mahomes 2.
Super Bowl MVPs: Brady 2, Mahomes 2.
AFC Championship Games: Brady 3, Mahomes 6.
AFC Championships: Brady 3, Mahomes 4.
NFL MVP Awards: Brady 0, Mahomes 2.
All-Pro Teams: Brady 1, Mahomes 3.
Regular-Season Record: Brady 70-24, Mahomes 72-22.
TD Passes: Brady 167, Mahomes 258.
Interceptions: Brady 87, Mahomes 69.
Granted, Mahomes plays in a much more pass-oriented league and operates under creative Andy Reid rather than conservative Belichick. And he needs to keep up his pace for another two decades to flirt with Brady.
But even a year ago, Mahomes dreamed of chasing Brady.
“I’m trying to catch Tom,” Mahomes said before Super Bowl LVII. “But Tom’s a long ways away. You can ask me when I’m like 38 years old.”
The conversation just got more interesting.
