In some corners, this matchup could be considered the best versus the best.
Tom Brady versus Patrick Mahomes.
Of course, there are a number of other quarterbacks that could be included in the argument of “best”. Joe Montana, Peyton Manning and John Elway just to mention a few. But anyone who would leave Brady off the top of the list is missing the point of the game.
Brady has more Super Bowl wins than any franchise. He led the New England Patriots to all six of their record number of Vince Lombardi Trophies and then added a seventh to his personal shelf when he guided the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a win in Super Bowl LV. That win, by the way, was over Mahomes and his favored Kansas City Chiefs.
In all, Brady and Mahomes met six times. Mahomes was leading the Chiefs in all six games while Brady split his matches against Mahomes while playing three with the Patriots and three with the Buccaneers. These two great quarterbacks split those six games … but it is worth noting that Mahomes was 3-1 in the regular season and Brady was 2-0 in postseason matchups.
Just another reason why any serious debate on who is the greatest of all-time has to land with Brady.
Still, Mahomes is spectacular and one can easily see why he would have his supporters. He makes plays that others can’t and completes passes from all sorts of positions whether in the pocket or scrambling away from would-be tacklers. While Brady may, and it is my opinion, the best of all-time, Mahomes can easily win the debate on who is the most athletic and electrifying QB in the NFL … ever.
Brady missed one season due to injury during his long NFL career. He was lost for the years in 2008 when he was injured against the Chiefs a decade before Mahomes was added to the Kansas City roster. In every season he played in New England after the 2002 season he guided the Patriots to the playoffs.
Last year, after leading the Chiefs to the playoffs in each of his years with the team, Kansas City missed the playoffs. Yes, Mahomes was injured, but that didn’t happen until the 15th week of the season after the Chiefs playoff hopes were doused in a campaign that ended with only six wins.
The dropoff in results for Andy Reid’s team could be traced to the season before. Despite earning a Super Bowl bid, the Chiefs in 2024 won more games by narrow margins than any team in history. If a missed or made field goal at the end of the game made a difference, the Chiefs were consistently on the right side of the result. They held opponents out of the end zone late in games to eke out narrow wins and scored on late plays to pull victories from the jaws of defeat.
Everything went their way … until they met the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX. The final score that favored the Eagles, 40-22, was not nearly as lopsided as the actual play on the field.
The Chiefs followed that dismal showing in the Super Bowl with a season that only produced six wins and their star quarterback suffered an injury that could impact the rest of his career.
If you think the Chiefs are in trouble this year, you and I are in agreement.
A lot of people are not with us.
Only two teams in the NFL have a higher projected win total this year than the Chiefs’ 10½. The Los Angeles Rams and Baltimore Ravens have 11½ wins posted on the proposition.
The Chiefs have shown a two-year decline, their quarterback is coming off an injury that could affect his play adversely this season, and the books are laying a huge win total number for Mahomes and company based on history … not current events.
On Monday, September 6, we will publish our win total selections for the 2026 season. Among them, you can be sure will be the Chiefs under 10½.