Patrick Mahomes still doesn't want to hear the Tom Brady comparisons
BOSTON -- A week ago, Patrick Mahomes dismissed any and all comparisons to Tom Brady.
"I'm not even close to halfway," he said.
Well, fast-forward a week, and the 28-year-old is closer to halfway, after he and the Chiefs won their third Super Bowl. Three is not quite halfway to seven, but it's nevertheless a remarkable achievement for Mahomes, who's certainly on a rare path that's really only been walked by Brady before. (Brady was 27 when he won his third Super Bowl.)
And after Mahomes earned Super Bowl MVP honors for the third time, the quarterback was once again asked about those Tom Brady comparisons. He said he has a hard time buying in.
"Yeah I hear it," Mahomes said on NFL Network's postgame show. "I mean, to me it's always going to be tough because Brady beat me in the Super Bowl. That's one thing he'll always have over my head."
Brady's Bucs did beat Mahomes' Chiefs in the Super Bowl, with Brady securing his seventh Lombardi Trophy and fifth Super Bowl MVP Award. Brady threw three touchdowns that night with no picks, while Mahomes threw no touchdowns and two interceptions. Brady also defeated Mahomes' Chiefs in their only other playoff meeting in 2018, a dramatic victory for the Patriots in a frigid Kansas City. Mahomes was the better quarterback in that game (though Brady was an assassin in overtime, converting three third-and-10's), though the Patriots rode a rushing attack to the overtime win.
Nobody quite knew it at the time for sure, but those two victories were monumental in Brady furthering his won status as the greatest of all time. Because clearly, if Mahomes can win a Super Bowl with this offense (and a great defense), the young man is going to be capable of winning a whole lot more for the remainder of his career.
The one benefit Mahomes has is knowing what he's chasing. Just like Brady was looking at the five Super Bowls won by his childhood idol Joe Montana as the benchmark, Mahomes has Brady's seven as something to drive toward.
"But it gives me something to strive for every single day. Just chasing greatness," Mahomes said. "And whenever I'm tired and I don't want to work out, I know that I have to do it in order to be in these moments like this."
On the one hand, that's some strong perspective -- especially in the moments after an emotional championship victory. On the other hand ... it's kind of a bummer! Imagine winning your third Super Bowl in five years, becoming the first team in two decades to win back-to-back Super Bowls, reaching a status that only four quarterbacks have ever reached ... and being reminded that you still have to win four more just to catch Brady. Feels rude. Mahomes will probably be OK.
Nevertheless! While a number of people are clearly getting caught up in the moment by prematurely declaring Mahomes the greatest of all time, it's noteworthy that the man himself isn't nearly ready to have that conversation.
