Patrick Mahomes on course to be the NFL GOAT over Tom Brady with insane number in playoffs

Patrick Mahomes will play in his fourth Super Bowl on February 11 against the 49ers.

Patrick Mahomes on course to be the NFL GOAT over Tom Brady with insane number in playoffs

Tom Brady (L) and Patrick Mahomes (R) (via Imago)

Patrick Mahomes’ and the Kansas City Chiefs are back in the Super Bowl. With Mahomes having his worst season as a starting quarterback and Kansas City lacking exceptional receiving talent, this was supposed to be the first true down year in the Chiefs dynasty. Furthermore, it was the Chiefs’ first experience of playing playoff football away from the Arrowhead Stadium in the Mahomes era.

It was still irrelevant. All Kansas City had to do to secure a spot in the Super Bowl for the fourth time in five years for quarterback Patrick Mahomes was shut down the formidable Miami Dolphins, outlast the Buffalo Bills, and stifle the top-seeded Baltimore Ravens.

YouTube video

For Mahomes, this fourth Super Bowl appearance has fully ignited an early debate: where does he stand in the discussion of the greatest of all time? Although Mahomes’ play and postseason success have catapulted him into the conversation with Tom Brady, the seven-time Super Bowl champion is still unquestionably the greatest quarterback of all time.

FS Video

Let’s take a look at the playoff stats between Mahomes and Brady.

Tom Brady vs. Patrick Mahomes: Playoff stats

Brady’s playoff stats would be a standout regular-season career for most quarterbacks, but Mahomes has also had an incredible postseason run. As a starter, he has never missed a conference championship game and owns an amazing 14-3 career playoff record.

Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes
Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes (Via SBNation/SI)

His stats are strong enough that he would have likely tied Brady for MVP if the regular season had consisted of 17 games.

Tom BradyStatPatrick Mahomes
48Games17
1,200Completions422
1,921Attempts626
62.5%Completion Percentage67.4%
13,400Passing Yards4,802
88Passing TDs39
40Interceptions7
89.8Rating106.3
114Rush Atts81
133Rush Yds458
7Rush TDs5

Tom Brady vs. Patrick Mahomes: Accolades and awards

Throughout his career, Tom Brady has received more honors and rings than Patrick Mahomes. It was also a hotter start for him in terms of winning rings. But compared to Brady at the same point in his career, Mahomes has achieved more personal achievements.

Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady
Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady (Via Imago)

It took Brady eight seasons to win an MVP award in the NFL. Mahomes has already won two MVP awards in his seven years. Brady was selected for just two Pro Bowls in his first seven seasons. Mahomes possesses six.

Tom BradyAccoladePatrick Mahomes
7Super Bowl rings2
3MVPs2
5Super Bowl MVPs2
15Pro Bowls6
2OPOY1

So who’s the GOAT: Tom Brady or Patrick Mahomes?

The debate over who the NFL’s all-time great is will take a lot of factors into account. Patrick Mahomes will benefit from playing in a new era where quarterbacks are favoured by new regulations.

In order to improve his regular-season passing statistics, he will also receive the added benefit of one extra regular-season game each year. He’s also playing in something of a quarterback golden age, with several QBs currently vying to be his rivals in the mold of Drew Brees or Peyton Manning.

Mahomes is off to a great start, and the fact that he is generating discussion at this point in his career is a testament to his greatness. Though he may already be more skilled as a quarterback than Brady was at any point in his Hall of Fame career, being the GOAT requires more than just skill.

Before he’s ready to seriously challenge Brady, Mahomes needs to add more experience to his resume in order to be regarded as the greatest of all time.

In case you missed it: