Tom Brady might be holding the “best quarterback” title right now, but will Mahomes change that?
They have done it again, the Kansas City Chiefs have made it to the Super Bowl for the third year in a row. Looking for their third consecutive win in this year’s Super Bowl LIX against the Philadelphia Eagles, there’s one name that Kansas City fans can’t stop talking about. This, of course, is Chiefs quarterback: Patrick Mahomes.
With his dedication, resilience, strong work ethic and compelling leadership, it is no surprise that fans would have nothing short of amazing things to say about Mahomes. Over the past six years as a starter, Mahomes has proven himself capable of taking over the title of the best quarterback ever seen in the NFL. This would be a coup from the well-known Tom Brady.
During his 23 seasons in the NFL, the first 20 being with the New England Patriots and the final three with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Brady proved to be a leading quarterback in the NFL. With records set in many domains, Brady had quite the career and left a legacy on the field. A quick round-up of some of his most notable records, courtesy of ESPN Stats, are as follows:
Most games won - 251
Most championships won - 7
Most career touchdown passes - 649
Most regular-season career passing yards - 89,214
Most career completions - 7,753
Pass for over 100,000 total yards - 102,614
Most games started - 333
Most playoff wins - 35
Most career playoff passing yards - 13,400
Most career playoff passing touchdowns - 88
Most career playoff game-winning drives - 14
Most career passing yards in a playoff game - 505
Most career Super Bowl passing touchdowns - 21
Most Super Bowl appearances - 10
Career playoff wins - 35
Super Bowl MVP - 5
NFL MVP - 3
First player to win NFL Championships in 3 different decades
First player to win multiple titles after turning 40
Oldest player to appear in a Super Bowl - 43 years old
Single team most yards thrown and touchdowns - 74,571 yards and 541 touchdowns
Most wins and touchdowns in one stadium - Gillette Stadium, 135 wins and 304 touchdowns
What’s crazy is that the list only names a few. It is safe to say that Tom Brady left his mark in the NFL when he decided to retire on Feb. 1, 2023.
But Mahomes is still playing, and he’s excelling. He has set records since his debut on Dec. 31, 2017. Here’s a list of a few notable records of his in the NFL:
Consecutive double-digit deficits overcome (including playoffs) - 6
Fastest to 25,000 career passing yards - accomplished in 83 games
Fastest to 200 career passing touchdowns - accomplished in 84 games
Passing touchdowns in a player’s first 50 games - 125
Total touchdowns in a postseason - 12
Total yards in a season - 5,608
Consecutive conference championships - 7 wins in 7 seasons
It is undeniable that Mahomes is currently set to take over as the most decorated record-holding quarterback in the NFL. At 29, he still has 15 years left to set and break records (assuming he plays until the same age Brady retired).
He has broken some of Brady’s records before. On Sept. 22, 2024, as the Kansas City Chiefs won against the Atlanta Falcons, Mahomes surpassed Roger Staubach and Tom Brady as the record holders for most career wins for a quarterback in their first 100 games. Previously held at 76-24 for the first 100 by both Brady and Staubach, Mahomes set the record with the win against the Falcons with 77-22. This gave him one game to spare, which he ended up winning to set his 100-game record of 78-22. Mahomes has surpassed Brady in all-season (regular and postseason) passing touchdowns, passing yards and rushing yards in one season, however, it is important to note that Brady played during an era in football where the mobility of quarterbacks was less applied.
If we look back a few years, we can also compare Brady’s to Mahomes' first 100-game starts as quarterback. In Brady’s first 100 games, he had 76 wins, 168 touchdowns, 23,000 yards, 3 Super Bowl wins and no MVPs. This, in comparison to Mahomes with 78 wins, 225 touchdowns, 29,000 yards, 3 Super Bowl wins and 2 MVPs, may prove that Mahomes has more to build upon in the coming years.
When the two met up during the regular season, they went 3-3 for wins, however, Brady’s talent shone through when he defeated Mahomes in both playoff games. These encounters included Super Bowl LV where Tampa Bay won 31-9 over Kansas City. When it came down to it, Brady was able to prove his ownership of the title “the GOAT”.
That being said, what can we expect to see from Mahomes as the Chiefs suit up to play Super Bowl LIX on Feb. 9, 2025? Although no records of Brady’s can be broken during the game, a win for Kansas City would help Mahomes take another step in his pursuit of breaking Brady’s records. These are the records held by Brady that Mahomes is closest to breaking:
Third quarterback to start 5 Super Bowls but the first to accomplish it by age 30
Most Super Bowls played before the age of 30
Most Super Bowl wins - Mahomes currently holds 3, while Brady has 7
Most playoff wins - Mahomes has 17 at age 29, Brady set the record of 29 by age 35
Most passing yards and touchdown passes in Super Bowls - Brady has thrown 3,039 yards with 21 TD passes in 10 Super Bowls, and so far, Mahomes has thrown 738 yards with five touchdown passes in 3 Super Bowl appearances.
It is hard to determine whether or not Brady’s unbelievable records can be broken by Mahomes just yet, there’s still many games to be played in Mahomes’ future, barring any injuries, but he is setting himself up well. It’ll be interesting to watch in the upcoming years just what Mahomes can do with his talent and drive as a quarterback, and though Brady can enjoy the title of “best quarterback” in the NFL for now, records are meant to be broken.
Edited by Madison Roost
Comments