The last and only time Patrick Mahomes lost a Super Bowl, Tom Brady was on the other sideline in Super Bowl 55. Will that game ultimately tip the ‘greatest of all time’ conversation in Brady’s favor?
Clearly only time will tell, but the statistical similarities of two of the NFL’s greatest quarterbacks is striking. But should the Kansas City Chiefs win their third-consecutive Super Bowl, Mahomes will have more Super Bowl wins than Brady did after his first eight seasons.
Brady and Mahomes will be back together at Super Bowl 59 this year at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, but Mahomes won’t need worry about Brady ruining his evening this time because he’ll be in the broadcast booth calling his first Super Bowl game for FOX.
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How do Brady’s and Mahomes’ records compare?
After eight seasons at quarterback, Mahomes’ and Brady’s records are remarkably similar. Both played just a game in their first season and then took over starting duties during the next seven. The Chiefs made the playoffs during the past seven years, while the Patriots missed the playoffs once in Brady’s second full season.
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How many Super Bowls have Brady and Mahomes played in?
Mahomes already has a strong resume in his first eight NFL seasons. At just 29 and entering his fifth Super Bowl, Mahomes already has joined a club occupied by a select few over lengthy careers.
Who has won the most Super Bowls in NFL history?
Brady won his first Super Bowl ring in 2002 inside the Superdome where this year’s game will be played. The Patriots defeated the St. Louis Rams’ high-flying offense in a 20-17 defensive battle. He won his seventh and final ring for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl 55, routing Mahomes and the Chiefs 31-9.
After Brady won Super Bowl 55, some questioned if anyone could ever match or even approach his two decades of dominance. Just four years later, should Mahomes win Super Bowl 59, he would be ahead of Brady’s pace and become one of three NFL quarterbacks with four rings.
How Brady’s and Mahomes’ passing stats match up
Brady holds multiple career passing records – for the regular season and playoffs. In the two most prominent, he’s 78 touchdowns and almost 9,000 yards ahead of second-place Drew Brees. Two active players are in the top 10 in both categories: Aaron Rodgers and Matthew Stafford. How their regular-season, career trajectories compare to Brady’s and Mahomes’.
How Brady and Mahomes match up in two NFL eras
As the chart above suggests, should Mahomes’ productivity follow the same trajectory, he might not need 23 years to surpass Brady in both categories.
But there’s an interesting twist here: Unlike most comparisons of generational talents, Brady played long enough that his era overlapped with Mahomes’ era. For example, trying to compare, say, Michael Jordan with LeBron James who played in different NBA eras becomes difficult if not impossible with traditional metrics.
So it’s striking to see, below, how Brady’s statistics evolved with the NFL’s increased emphasis on passing and how much more closely his numbers in his final five seasons aligned with Mahomes’.
Other categories where Brady’s and Mahomes’ statics are similar
Mahomes ranks second to Rodgers with a 102.1 passer rating, well ahead of Brady, who is fittingly No. 12 (97.2). But there are still other statistical similarities between their career statistics, according to Pro Football Reference:
Completion percentage: Mahomes has the slight edge 66.6% to Brady’s 64.3% in more than two decades. It’s worth noting, Brady’s percentage in his three years with the Buccaneers was 66.7%.
Interception percentage: Both threw 1.8 interceptions for every 100 throws.
Yards gained per pass attempt: Mahomes also has the slight edge here: 7.8 yards to Brady’s 7.4 yards.