With yet another playoff win over the Buffalo Bills this weekend, the Kansas City Chiefs are headed to their third Super Bowl in as many seasons and are looking to become the first team in NFL history to hoist three consecutive Lombardi Trophies.
Oh yeah, and their quarterback in Patrick Mahomes? He continues to chase greatness in the process. With their 32-29 victory in the AFC championship game on Sunday night, the 29-year-old passed Joe Montana for second in all-time postseason wins by a quarterback with 17. He only trails Tom Brady—who has 35.
So that's where the conversation is headed. Although longevity certainly matters in the GOAT conversation, it's clear that Mahomes has had a better to his NFL career than Brady had.
Here are the numbers—through each of their first seven seasons as starters—that back it up from a graphic from NBC Sports Boston:
Mahomes just sneaks past Brady in the stat that probably matters the least—regular season record. Through seven seasons, the Chiefs' signal caller started 112 games to Brady's 110, and his win percentage is just a hair better (.013).
Playoff RecordPatrick Mahomes: 17-3 (.850)Tom Brady: 14-4 (.777)
Though Mahomes does have more wins (17) and a higher win percentage (.850) throughout his first seven seasons, Brady's Patriots still hold the record for most postseason wins.
Their 10 straight victories from 2002 to '06 are the most in league history. This current Chiefs just won their ninth straight on Sunday. They would tie New England's record with a dub in Super Bowl LIX.
TD to INT Ratio (Regular & Playoffs)Patrick Mahomes: 288 TD, 81 INT Tom Brady: 223 TD, 98 INT
Here's where the non-wins and losses stats come in—and where Mahomes' talent and play on the field stands out. The 29-year-old has more touchdowns (288 to 223) and fewer interceptions thrown (81 to 98) over their first seven seasons.
To Brady's credit, he did play five fewer games over that span. Though that's still not enough for him to have caught up.
AFC Championship WinsPatrick Mahomes: 5Tom Brady: 4
The AFC invitational at Foxborough has turned into the AFC invitational at Arrowhead. The Chiefs have now played in seven straight AFC championship games (hosting six) and have won five of them.
Over Brady's first seven seasons, just two AFC title games were hosted by the Patriots. They did, however, win four total—two of which were on the road.
Super Bowl WinsPatrick Mahomes: 3Tom Brady: 3
While this is the only tie here, a win in Super Bowl LIX would push Mahomes past Brady with four Super Bowl titles in his first seven seasons as a starter.
Again, longevity matters, especially given that Brady went on to win four more Super Bowls in his career. However, it's hard to argue that Mahomes' trajectory isn't mighty impressive.
He'll have a chance to win No. 4 against the Philadelphia Eagles less than two weeks from today. Kick-off from New Orleans' Caesars Superdome for Super Bowl LIX is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. EST on Sunday, Feb. 9.
