Super Bowl LV represents a matchup between a quarterback widely considered the Greatest of All Time and the quarterback who would like to take that name for himself one day. Tom Brady holds six Super Bowl titles, more than any other quarterback in the history of the NFL, and his tenth appearance in a Super Bowl will also set a record. When Brady won his first title, back in 2002, Mahomes was in kindergarten, only six years old. However, Mahomes’ career has gotten off to a terrific start. He has appeared in three straight AFC Championships and is about to appear in his second straight Super Bowl, this time as the defending MVP. If the Kansas City Chiefs can beat Tampa Bay on Sunday, they would become the first back-to-back Super Bowl champions since 2004, when the New England Patriots, led by none other than Brady, pulled off the feat. Is this an even matchup between quarterbacks?
Let’s take a deep dive as you consider your NFL betting for Sunday’s game.
NFL News: Patrick Mahomes vs Tom Brady — Is This an Even QB Matchup?
Mahomes and Brady have met four times in the past, dating back to 2018. In Week 6 of the 2018 regular season, the teams met in a track meet, with New England holding in for a 43-40 win in which the Patriots jumped out to an early lead but then had to cling to that lead as Mahomes led a furious comeback. Brady threw for 340 yards and a score, while Mahomes threw for 352 yards, four scores and two picks (which helped the Patriots build that early lead.
Later that season, the two teams met in the AFC Championship. Once again, New England jumped out to an early lead, but then Kansas City came back to force overtime. The Patriots got the ball first in overtime, and the Chiefs’ defense had no answer, as New England drove down to win with a touchdown, 37-31. Brady threw for 348 yards, a score and two picks. Mahomes had 295 yards and three touchdowns.
In 2019, Mahomes finally got the upper hand, leading the Chiefs to a 23-16 win. Mahomes threw for 283 yards with a score and a pick. Brady was limited to 169 yards while throwing a touchdown pass and an interception. The teams would not meet in the playoffs, as New England got upset in the wild card round by Tennessee — Brady’s last game in a storied New England career.
In Week 12 of the 2020 season, Mahomes had a huge first quarter, leading Kansas City to an early 17-0 lead. Then it was Brady’s turn to lead a mammoth comeback, but the Chiefs held on for a 27-24 win. Mahomes threw three touchdown passes and stacked up 462 yards. Brady threw for 345 yards, three touchdowns — and a pair of interceptions.
The age gap between Brady and Mahomes is 18 years, 45 days — the largest difference in age between the starting quarterbacks in any Super Bowl. However, if you’ve seen Brady’s resurgence this year in Tampa Bay, you know that this 43-year-old quarterback is no Steve DeBerg. He is throwing the ball down the field with confidence and accuracy. However, his interceptions are slightly up, particularly when he is under pressure. That is to be expected out of quarterbacks out of all ages, but Mahomes has more agility and seems, at this point in his career, to be slightly cooler in the pocket under pressure. That difference could prove crucial in this matchup. Mahomes has not thrown an interception against a Tom Brady-led team since 2019, and in the 2020 campaign, Mahomes only threw six interceptions. Three of those came against the Miami Dolphins, in a forgettable game — but one in which he bounced back to complete 70.6 percent of his passes. Brady threw three interceptions against Green Bay, and if he nears that number against the Chiefs, that will make the win easy for Kansas City.
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