The Super Bowl LV is a battle between two of the most dangerous teams in the NFL, not just because of their presence at the end of the NFL season, but because of how they got there. Kansas City Chiefs, who won everything after the 2019 season with one of the league’s most explosive offenses, face Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which airs as enthusiastically as anyone under coach Bruce Arians. While the teams themselves have all kinds of intrigue, we all know the biggest reason people will be tuning in this Super Bowl Sunday: the defenders. We rarely have the gift of such a high-profile matchup: Tom Brady against Patrick Mahomes, the six-time champion against the title champion.
As we prepare for Brady against Mahomes under the bright lights of Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium tonight, we have everything you need to know about your fight, from every QB postseason resume and Super Bowl record to how they did it. did well in the head-to-head matchups. Fasten your seatbelt and prepare yourself for arguably the most exciting signage match of the year.
The Super Bowl LV is almost here and you can watch it for free on the CBS Sports app.
The basic
|
Patrick Mahomes |
25 | 4th | 6-3 |
230 |
Texas Tech |
1st round (10th overall) |
|
Tom Brady |
43 | 21st | 6-4 |
225 |
Michigan |
6th round (199th overall) |
Physically speaking, Brady and Mahomes are not very different in terms of size; none is especially big, while Brady is a little thinner. Their physical similarities, however, are likely to end there. Mahomes is not a burner on the ground, scoring a 4.8-second 40-yard run out of college, but the sculptural Brady was never a remote threat to run the ball. Correspondingly, Mahomes made a name for himself as a reactionary big play machine, using his mobility, effortless arm strength and unparalleled inclination for acrobatic pitches to post extravagant numbers. Brady, on the other hand, lasted more than two decades mainly for his talent between the ears – a masterful attention to detail that kept him in shape, in charge and rarely agitated as a “point guard” QB.
Neither Brady nor Mahomes entered the NFL with expectations especially from the elite. The Chiefs switched to the 10th overall Mahomes draft, but their Texas Tech resume was no superstars thing, with many scouts concerned about seemingly reckless ball handling in a favorable attack. Mahomes also spent most of his debut year on the bench, behind Alex Smith. Brady, meanwhile, was even later, opening his debut season as No. 4 QB, playing only one game and only seeing the field extensively the following year because of a serious injury by titleholder Drew Bledsoe. Now, 20 years later, Brady is far from an underdog thanks to his future record-breaking Hall of Fame career, and Mahomes is unanimously one of the best QBs in the game today.
Career Numbers
Brady has the obvious nod at all-time brands because of his length of service, but the reason these two are such an intriguing dispute in the Super Bowl is because, at their peak, they were both clearly one of, if not the most. best passer of your time. It is difficult to find a poor performance throughout the season for any of the QBs.
|
Patrick Mahomes |
4 |
46 |
38-8 |
14,152 |
114 |
24 |
108.7 |
|
Tom Brady |
21 |
301 |
230-69 |
79,204 |
581 |
191 |
97.3 |
Brady’s numbers look monstrous here, and that’s because they are; he ranks second in career passing yards, behind only Drew Brees and first in all touchdown times. But, to put in perspective how good Mahomes has been unprecedented from the start, he is on his way to overcoming the TD mark of Brady’s career in his 30s. Mahomes has an average of 2.47 TD releases per game, which means he needs “only” about 189 games, or just under 12 more seasons of this type of production, to get TB12. This is much, much easier said than done – especially considering the unpredictability of injuries and other circumstances – but it proves that these two QBs are legends or legends under construction.
Playoff numbers
Throw a party with this if you’re looking for QBs that know how to show up when the lights are on:
|
Patrick Mahomes |
6-1 |
two |
2,054 |
17 |
two |
109.8 |
|
Tom Brady |
33-11 |
10 |
12,248 |
80 |
38 |
89.9 |
Best season
Both QBs boast years of MVP caliber career, which is hardly surprising considering that they have a combination of five MVP awards between them:
- Patrick Mahomes (2018): 5,097 yards, 50 TDs, 12 INTs, 8.8 YPA, 113.8 QB rating, 272 fast yards, 2 rush TDs, record 12-4
- Tom Brady (2007): 4,806 yards, 50 TDs, 8 INTs, 8.3 YPA, 117.2 QB rating, 98 rushing yards, 2 rush TDs, 16-0 record
Worst season
Again, nothing bad on the part of any of these guys. To eliminate seasons reduced by injuries or spent on the bench, we include only the years when Brady or Mahomes played / started at least two games:
- Patrick Mahomes (2019): 4,031 yards, 26 TDs, 5 INTs, 8.3 YPA, 105.3 QB rating, 218 running yards, 2 TDs, 11-3 record
- Tom Brady (2002): 3,764 yards, 28 TDs, 14 INTs, 6.3 YPA, 85.7 QB classification, 110 running yards, 1 TD, 9-7 record
Super Bowl Resumes
This is not a fair comparison, considering that Brady has 17 seasons in Mahomes, not to mention eight other Super Bowl appearances. But in the interest of reviewing your performances on the biggest NFL stage, we have the details below, courtesy of our preview of the Super Bowl quarterback on CBS Sports.
Patrick Mahomes
|
2019 |
XLIV |
W vs. 49ers, 31-20 |
26-42, 286 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs, classification 78.1 |
Funny, one of Mahomes’ worst statistical games from another Pro Bowl 2019 season came at the Super Bowl, his first – and record – championship, in which he played two choices, the best of the season, and posted his second. lowest passer rating (78.1) of the year. His second interception initially seemed to condemn the Chiefs, who had been left 10 points behind in the third quarter against San Francisco, but it was then that he finally changed course, returned to MVP form and made several important moves to take Kansas City to 21 unanswered points and victory. His performance is a very good microcosm of his career so far: even when he doesn’t start well or the numbers don’t look good (it’s true, they usually do), Mahomes’ tendency towards acrobatic pitches and timely touch strokes make him a constant threat to steal a victory.
Tom Brady
|
2018 |
LIII |
W vs. Rams, 13-3 |
21-35, 262 yards, 1 INT, classification 71.4 |
| 2017 | LII | L vs. Eagles, 41-33 | 28-48, 505 yards, 3 TDs, 115.4 rating |
|
2016 |
LI |
W vs. Falcons, 34-28 |
43-62, 466 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT, classification 95.2 |
|
2014 |
XLIX |
W vs. Seahawks, 28-24 |
37-50, 328 yards, 4 TDs, 2 INTs, classification 101.1 |
| 2011 | XLVI | L against Giants, 21-17 | 27-41, 276 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT, classification 91.1 |
| 2007 | XLII | L against Giants, 17-14 | 29-48, 266 yards, 1 TD, classification 82.5 |
| 2004 | XXXIX | W vs. Eagles, 24-21 | 23-33, 236 yards, 2 TDs, 110.2 rating |
| 2003 | XXXVIII | W vs. Panthers, 32-29 | 32-48, 354 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT, classification 100.5 |
| 2001 | XXXVI | W vs. Rams, 20-17 | 16-27, 145 yards, 1 TD, rating 86.2 |
The closest any other QB came to its record number of appearances (10, including this Sunday) was John Elway, who played in five. Unsurprisingly, Brady has almost every major Super Bowl record in the book, from passing yards of all time to combined titles. He’s not immune to twists in big games, throwing an interception in five of his nine Super Bowls so far, but he’s also been very good, never losing by more than one point and recording a 6-3 record on the biggest stage in the NFL. Perhaps most importantly, Brady was always notoriously efficient towards the end of the games, taking the Patriots to victory despite a 28-3 hole in Super Bowl LI, overcoming a 10-point deficit against Seattle in Super Bowl XLIX and leading the Eagles to the limit in Super Bowl LII.
Face to face results
Aha, the one you’ve been waiting for! Brady and Mahomes have faced each other four times in the past three seasons and, appropriately, they enter the Super Bowl LV tied up in their all-time series, with Brady collecting two wins and Mahomes recording the other two:
- Week 12, 2020 (Chiefs 27, Buccaneers 24): Mahomes led the way with 462 yards and three TDs, although Brady was so active in the air, shooting 345 yards, three TDs and two INTs in a tight loss that started with a 17-0 advantage in Kansas City.
- Week 14, 2019 (Chiefs 23, Patriots 16): No QB was at its best this time, with Mahomes throwing 282 yards, a TD and an INT; and Brady finished with just 169 yards, a TD and an INT for a lifeless Pat offense.
- 2018 AFC Championship Game (Patriots 37, Chiefs 31): In this overtime thriller, Mahomes had 295 yards and three TDs to cap an MVP season, while Brady stole the “W” despite two INTs to go with 348 yards and a score.
- Week 6, 2018 (Patriots 43, Chiefs 40): At the start of Mahomes’ MVP season, he shot 352 yards, four points and two INTs, while Brady went for 340 yards and a TD.
Curiosities
What are the game day foods of these QBs? Who did they grow up idolizing? Here are some farewell nuggets:
- Most notable favorite food: Ketchup (Mahomes), avocado ice cream (Brady)
- Child sport hero: Tiger Woods (Mahomes), Joe Montana (Brady)
- Career gains: $ 24.5 million (Mahomes), $ 263 million (Brady)
- Childhood house: Tyler, Texas (Mahomes), San Mateo, California (Brady)