For years now, the Super Bowl has been the premier sporting event in the United States. The NFL’s biggest stage has been home to many memorable matchups and performances. Some of the greatest players in the sports history have established themselves on this one Sunday that occurs once a year. The big game has hosted some of the greatest quarterback matchups in NFL history, including Marino vs Montana, Elway vs Farve, and even Brees vs Manning. However, Sunday’s matchup between Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes will go down as arguably the greatest ever. The GOAT vs the current best quarterback in the league, both leading their extremely talented teams into Raymond James Stadium for a chance at the coveted Vince Lombardi Trophy. With so much on the line, only one can come out on top in this matchup for supremacy.
The Accolades of Tom Brady
At this point in time, almost every unbiased football fan can acknowledge Tom Brady as the GOAT. Brady holds the record for both the most Super Bowl wins (6) and appearances (10) by a player in NFL history. However, Brady’s success goes way beyond the Super Bowl. Brady holds the record for most TD passes in NFL history with 581. The 43 year old quarterback’s other accolades include: the most regular season wins by a starting QB (230), most division titles (17), most playoff wins (33), most playoff games started (44), most passing touchdowns in the playoffs (80), and most passing yards in the playoffs (12,248).
Of course those are just a few of Brady’s most worthy accomplishments. However, what makes Brady truly stand out above the rest is his leadership skills. Brady will fight for every last down on every last chance he gets. Brady has shown time and time again why he can never be counted out. When the game is on the line and you need a quarterback to make a game winning drive, the guy you want is Tom Brady.
The Accolades of Patrick Mahomes
In terms of Super Bowl experience, Patrick Mahomes by no means even compares to the GOAT Tom Brady. However, it would be utter blasphemy to discredit how ready Mahomes will be for this year’s Super Bowl. The 25 year old quarterback has wowed the NFL time and time again with his athleticism and ability to make big plays when it counts. From all of his sidearm passes to his 3rd and 15 bomb in Super Bowl LIV, Mahomes can throw the football extremely well when the pressure surrounds him.
Although Mahomes has only played a few seasons in the NFL, he has already established his early career as one of the best starts in NFL history. The young quarterback currently holds the highest NFL passer rating of all time (108.7), has won both the regular season and Super Bowl MVP once, and has thrown for over 14,000 passing yards and 114 TDs. With the talent that surrounds Mahomes, expect for him to make some huge plays in this year’s Super Bowl. If the Buccaneers wish to win, then their defense will need to come up with a few big stops. As most football fans would say, you never want to bet against Tom Brady. However, betting against Mahomes is not the best idea either.
Tom Brady vs Patrick Mahomes
Although this will without a doubt qualify as their biggest matchup yet, Brady and Mahomes have already faced each other four times before. The series between the two quarterbacks is currently evened out at 2-2, with Mahomes taking the last two matchups. Only one of those previous 4 matchups was in the playoffs, which was when Brady led the Patriots to a 37-31 come from behind overtime win in Arrowhead Stadium. All the matchups have been decided by only one score, which just adds onto the fact at how well these two quarterbacks have played against each other.
Considering this will most likely be their last matchup against each other due to Brady’s age, all the marbles are on the line this time around. Will Brady continue to further cement his legacy as the GOAT or will Mahomes prove to the world that he is unstoppable? Win or lose for either quarterback, this should be the game of the year.