Tom Brady:
Tom Brady is exactly like that persistent movie villain that you just can’t kill. And most people won’t be rooting for him on Super Bowl Sunday. However, a combination of experience and continued dominance will ultimately lead him to victory over Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs come Feb. 7.
First off, Brady’s been here before, nine times actually, and when he trots out onto the field Sunday for his 10th Super Bowl, he’ll have played in four more than anyone else in NFL history (When Brady won his first Super Bowl in 2002, Mahomes was just six years old). In those nine previous appearances, Brady has totaled more passing yards and passing touchdowns than Lamar Jackson and Teddy Bridgewater notched, respectively, over 15 games each this past season. The bottom line, Tom Terrific knows the Big Game like the back of his possibly-bionic hand, and he’s been consistently excellent on the biggest stage. He’s the GOAT. What would you expect?
But the scariest part for Mahomes and Co.: This old goat’s got a little more in the tank than you’d think. Despite being the oldest player in the NFL this season at 43, Brady posted a vintage campaign in 2020, tallying the second most completions and TD passes of any season in his career. Worried about the old man’s mobility? Young Mahomes actually took more sacks this season than Brady, despite playing behind an offensive line with more Pro Bowl players than Tampa Bay’s. As for his arm strength, in the NFC Championship game, Brady essentially buried likely NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers and the Packers in the closing seconds of the first half with a cold-blooded 39-yard touchdown pass.
He has clearly still got it.
So it’s fine if you prefer to look away in disgust when the commissioner presents him with the Pete Rozelle Trophy as Super Bowl MVP. It’ll be his fifth one.
— Atticus Crothers
Patrick Mahomes:
Sunday’s game, regardless of the outcome, will include a metaphorical passing of the torch from Brady to the new face of the NFL for the foreseeable future. It would be hard to come up with a better Super Bowl quarterback matchup. The game will feature heroes of the past, present and future, along with two of the most star-studded offenses the NFL has ever seen. With that being said, Mahomes and the Chiefs are undoubtedly going to be the dynasty of the 2020’s and Brady is, well, closer to retirement than his days at Michigan.
The last time Mahomes lost a game by more than one possession was in 2016— against Iowa State. The Chiefs’ quarterback holds a 44-9 record in the NFL, never having lost by more than eight points. He hasn’t gone a year without being in the playoffs, and he already has an MVP award and a Super Bowl ring. With a win on Sunday, he would become the first quarterback to ever win two Super Bowls before the age of 25. Brady may be the greatest of all time, but with the start Mahomes is having, the NFL might have its very own MJ-LeBron debate on its hands in a few years.
If Mahomes is only starting his career and Brady is looking for his last hoorah, why believe in the wunderkind on Sunday? Well, the Chiefs and Buccaneers have one key difference. One of them won their previous matchup this season, and the other didn’t. We already saw this game played in Week 12, where the Chiefs dominated early and came out with the three-point victory despite Brady’s attempted heroics. Mahomes stepped up to the plate and had one of the best games of his career, outplaying Brady in every manner. As a result, he will have every confidence that he can beat the old-timer in Tampa come Super Bowl LV.
The game has one more hidden significance in that Brady and Mahomes are currently tied in their record against one another, 2-2. They aren’t scheduled to meet again for at least another two years, so the only way they could play each other would be in another Super Bowl. Sunday will more than likely be the last time they face each other, and there’s no doubt both of them know it. This game has all the makings of a classic and will surely be referenced in the decades to come as the game that broke the tie.
We all know the saying “everybody hates a winner,” which is exactly the reason Brady has incurred so much hatred throughout his career. Now, a new era is beginning and Mahomes will be the unbeatable villain of the NFL for years to come, starting Sunday.
— Ryan Murphy
Tom Brady photo courtesy of All-Pro Reels; Patrick Mahomes photo courtesy of Jeffrey Beall/Wikimedia Commons
