
Wednesday, 4 a.m.
We all thought the Super Bowl was about history. Turns out, it was about math.
As in, Tom Brady still rules history. Anyone who doubts it simply can’t add.
To remind you.
Seven is still more than three.
Two-hundred and 51 is still more than 89.
Forty-six is still more than 23.
And so on.
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Look, win or lose, Patrick Mahomes is a great quarterback. He can improvise better than any other quarterback playing. His team believes in him. He’s already punched his ticket to the Hall of Fame.
But no, he was never on the verge of becoming the greatest player of all time. Not even close.
I get it. We love the now. It’s human nature. We see greatness, and we believe that no one else ever could be greater. The NFL has become a league of highlights and replays and social media, and all of those are just logs on the fire of discussion.
But let’s get real. Mahomes still hasn’t climbed the Brady Mountain. And a three-peat would not have changed that.
Look, it’s all about winning rings. In any discussion of great quarterbacks, that’s the tie-breaker. And Brady has won seven of them. Mahomes is on three. Frankly, he’s still chasing Joe Montana (and possibly Terry Bradshaw).
Five times, Brady has been the Super Bowl MVP. Mahomes is at three.
Brady threw for 89,214 yards. Mahomes is at 32,352.
Brady made 15 Pro Bowls. Mahomes has made six.
Brady had 46 wins after trailing in the fourth quarter. Mahomes has 23.
Brady has 649 touchdown passes. Mahomes has 245.
Brady has 251 regular-season wins. Mahomes has 89.
Right, you say. But Mahomes is still just 29 years old. He’s got time.
And that’s the point. Mahomes still has a chance to get there. But his loss to the Eagles is a reminder that he’s just partway there. If his next seven seasons are as successful as his first seven, well, he’ll still be a Super Bowl shy of Brady.
Again, it’s not an insult to suggest a quarterback is among the best five ever to play the game.
But no, he’s not the goat.
Check back in a half-dozen more seasons.