The Kansas City Chiefs take on the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX on Sunday evening, with legacies on the line and names to be made in New Orleans.
And while the Chiefs’ bid for a historic, era-defining ‘three-peat’ remains the most pertinent storyline, the team’s journey to a third straight Super Bowl – and a fifth in six years – has ignited one of sports’ great debates in the NFL - that of the supposed ‘GOAT’.
For years, seven-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady was regarded – perhaps almost unanimously – as the sport’s greatest quarterback, and in some eyes even its greatest player.
However, the rapid rise of the Chiefs, driven in part by quarterback Patrick Mahomes, has seen the Texas native enter the quarterback debate.
And Mahomes comes into Sunday’s game with a chance to make yet more history, where a third straight Super Bowl win – and a fourth overall – would already cement his place among the game’s all-time greats at the tender age of just 29.
Mahomes on the edge of history
Mahomes, who joined the Chiefs as part of the 2017 draft and entered the team as a starter the year after, had almost immediate success when he led the side to their first Super Bowl appearance in 50 years at LIV, at the end of the 2019 season.
And a 31-20 win over the 49ers proved the springboard for more success, with the Chiefs appearing in all but one Super Bowl since then.
A dramatic 38-35 win against this year’s opponents, the Eagles, came at the end of the 2022 season, before an overtime win against the 49ers this time last year gave the Chiefs their third title in the last five years.
Mahomes has been MVP in each of the Super Bowls he’s won, and he once again leads the side as they chase history at Caesars Superdome, having thrown for one touchdown and rushed for two more in the NFL Conference Championship win over the Bills.
While the 29-year-old would no doubt insist that the team’s glory is the important thing, the fact that so much of a result hinges on his own performance means that his own legacy cannot be separated from that of the Chiefs.
And as a result, the team and his own successes mean that the Chiefs quarterback has been drawn into a the debate over the NFL’s greatest ever quarterback.
The ‘GOAT’ debate: Mahomes vs Brady
While the debate on the best player in NFL is more difficult to settle, the debate on the greatest quarterback should be easier to decide, at least on paper.
Except it isn’t really, not least because of Brady’s longevity and his exceptional regular season stats.
And that debate will likely rage on for at least another three years minimum, even if Mahomes does lead the Chiefs to a win on Sunday.
Brady’s seven Super Bowl wins means that it is difficult to rule against the 47-year-old, with the circumstances of his seventh win – with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the age of 43, against Mahomes – further enhancing his reputation.
However, in some corners Mahomes is nearly seen as deserving of the title of the sport’s greatest QB due to his playoff performances, having surpassed Brady is some key postseason metrics, with the ‘clutch’ nature of his displays also drawing admiration.
Mahomes has been the architect of three double-digit Super Bowl comeback victories, with his 333 yards and two touchdowns at Super Bowl 58 just one example of the performance level that he has produced when the stakes are at their highest.
Though Mahomes has some way to go to match Brady’s seven Super Bowl wins and 35 playoff game wins, the 29-year-old possesses a higher playoff win percentage (85 per cent against Brady’s 72.9) as well as a higher EPA and a better TD-interception ratio, and he has more rushing touchdowns and first downs than Brady (43 to 35). In addition, Mahomes is averaging 277.8 passing yards per game in the postseason, while Brady averaged 279.2.
And while stats never tell the whole story, the romance of a potential three-peat, and four Super Bowl wins before the age of 30, mean that some fans and pundits will be placing Mahomes above Brady if the Chiefs do win.
Whether or not you believe the GOAT debate is even relevant, what is almost certain is that a win on Sunday would cement Mahomes’ place in the sport’s Hall of Fame, if it’s not confirmed already.
Whether he takes that place alongside or above Brady is not important – with the potential to play for another decade or more, most fans will simply enjoy seeing where his career goes from here.
