History Repeating? Patrick Mahomes’ Career Now Mirrors Tom Brady’s Uncanny Path Following ACL Injury

Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady both suffered ACL injuries in their eighth year in the league.

History Repeating? Patrick Mahomes’ Career Now Mirrors Tom Brady’s Uncanny Path Following ACL Injury

Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes (Image via IMAGO)

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Patrick Mahomes stood between the Kansas City Chiefs and elimination from playoff contention. However, the Chiefs not only missed the playoffs after losing against the Los Angeles Chargers but also lost Mahomes to a season-ending injury.

The Chiefs led by ten points for most of the second quarter at Arrowhead. Right before the referee stopped for halftime, Justin Herbert tipped the balance of the game in the Chargers’ favor with a touchdown pass to rookie KeAndre Lambert-Smith. Cameron Dicker‘s back-to-back field goal conversions took his team across the Chiefs’ total in the third quarter.

It took nearly the entire fourth quarter for the Chiefs to put together a promising drive. Unfortunately, unlike previous years, the Chiefs haven’t had the luck to score touchdowns late in the game. And that dubious streak continued on Sunday.

While scrambling for valuable yardage, Mahomes’ left leg awkwardly jarred upon touching the turf. He stayed down and was later taken out of the game. Gardner Minshew came in to throw 3 passes for 22 yards. Minshew’s contributions mattered little in the final result. The Chargers won 16-13 and ended the Chiefs’ hopes of appearing in the 2025-26 NFL playoffs.

Mahomes underwent an MRI, which revealed an ACL tear in his left leg. According to the Chiefs’ official X account, they are exploring surgical options. So, basically, his season is over with three games left.

At 30, Mahomes’ career path is strikingly reminiscent of legendary quarterback Tom Brady’s time with the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Rany Jazayerli, who has a keen eye for football history, compared Mahomes and Brady’s first eight years in the NFL.

Both Mahomes and Brady had three Super Bowl wins under their belts and were chasing a fourth ring before suffering ACL tears, which led to their teams missing the playoffs.

Patrick Mahomes has had a better start to the NFL compared to Tom Brady

Brady finished with 7 Super Bowl victories in his career that spanned more than two decades. Mahomes still has a long way to go before matching Brady’s record, but he has the 48-year-old beat in one area.

History Repeating? Patrick Mahomes’ Career Now Mirrors Tom Brady’s Uncanny Path Following ACL Injury
Patrick Mahomes (Image via IMAGO)

Veteran football junkie Trey Wingo made an excellent observation that keeps Mahomes ahead of Brady for the moment. Wingo noted that Mahomes reached five Super Bowls in his first seven seasons as the Chiefs’ starting quarterback, while it took Brady nearly 11 years to make it to five.

The debate about who is the GOAT (Greatest of All Time) of football will rage on deep into the future because Mahomes has no plans to retire for now, unlike Travis Kelce, who might hang up his cleats at the end of the current season.

Before going off injured, Mahomes had 16 completions from 28 pass attempts for 189 yards, zero touchdowns, and 1 interception. He added a score on the ground in the first quarter. Kelce caught 7 passes for 70 yards, and Rashee Rice capped off with 7 for 50 yards.

If Week 15 ends up being Mahomes’ final game of the year, then he finishes with 315 pass completions from 502 attempts for 3587 yards (62.7%), 22 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. He also rushed for a total of 422 yards and scored 5 touchdowns.

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