One of the brilliant aspects of Tom Brady’s playstyle is his impeccable passing. Being a QB requires one to be an exemplary passer and TB12 has mastered the craft as evident from his 1.9% interception rate.
Tom Brady and Patrick MahomesCredit – USA TODAY Sports
However, what set Brady apart from other QBs was his smartness. He boosted his skills further by combining them with his ability to spot the right man at the right place. On top of it, his ability to jot down a chain of plays helped him always find the right man from the back of the field. Interestingly, Patrick Mahomes appears to be following in Brady’s footsteps as most of his recent success was a result of the same process.
Popular YouTube content creator and play analyst Jackson Kreuger Sports posted a video showing the similarity in Mahomes and Brady’s passing approach via a play-by-play film study. It was quite eerie to witness how both Brady and Mahomes prioritized the execution of simple plays, giving them the room to make the big ones when needed as a surprise attack.
“He’s kind of known for the big arm and the scrambles, that kind of stuff but very much what you would see 90 to around 95% of the time honestly was just him taking what the defence gave him. It is very much the kind of the Tom Brady school of thought of let’s just you know, put the ball in the right player’s hands as often as he can and then obviously Mahomes can still do the you know crazy stuff when he needs to.”
Krueger also noted that man coverage is the key to stopping players from attacking in this process. Highlighting a clip from Baltimore Ravens vs Chiefs last year, he showed how Mahomes’ impact was nullified as the Ravens’ corners blocked the WRs landing him in trouble. The analyst also stated that zonal marking on the other hand isn’t of much use when trying to contain someone like Mahomes.
What’s interesting is that despite analysts knowing about Mahomes and Brady’s playstyle and weaknesses, none of them have managed to throw a dent in their impact. Mahomes in general is exceptional because after Brady’s torment, it was expected that the league would have had plans for someone with a similar playstyle. Yet Mahomes has managed to beat them all and has even surpassed Brady if one compares the first seven years of their careers.
Patrick Mahomes Edges Out Tom Brady When We Compare Their First Seven Years in the NFL
Over the last seven years, Patrick Mahomes has witnessed a meteoric rise in his prospects. When comparing this period with Tom Brady’s first seven years, Mahomes has managed to be on par with the 46-year-old’s tally of three Super Bowl wins.
A deeper look into their stats and one can see that the 28-year-old KC Chiefs star has upstaged the GOAT in all other metrics in this period. For starters, Mahomes has 16 more regular season wins than Brady. Moreover, the Kansas City star has 15 postseason wins to Brady’s 10.
When it comes to MVP wins, the Chiefs QB has no competition from Brady. In the first seven years, Mahomes has earned 2 NFL MVP awards to TB12’s zero. Besides, while both have the same Super Bowl wins, Mahomes has proven to be more decisive with three Super Bowl MVPs when compared to Brady’s 2. However, does this mean Patrick Mahomes will easily overtake the GOAT?
Honestly, even if Mahomes has an upper hand right now, what set Brady apart was his insane longevity. To make things simpler, Patrick Mahomes will have to score 430 TDs, cover 60,730 yards, have 155 wins, 18 playoff wins, and 4 Super Bowl rings to catch up to Brady.
For the Chiefs QB to achieve this feat, he needs to be extremely consistent for the rest of his career. If he can do that while matching Brady and Rodgers’ longevity, the sky is the limit.
