Patrick Mahomes is a nearly insurmountable football deity, but when we look a little closer, we see he may be human after all
So this article could be wildly “old takes exposed” in about two weeks. Still, with the Eagles going up against this generation’s GOAT for the 2nd time in two years, I figured it might be worthwhile to dig a little deeper at what Patrick Mahomes has looked like in his 4 career Super Bowl appearances. The man has 3 rings and appears poised to win a 4th, but under the surface, his in-game performances are worth a little more of a discussion.
Super Bowl LIV: Patrick Mahomes First Ring
Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs beat the Jimmy Garropolo-led 49ers, 31-20. Mahomes played well enough to win. At the time it was awesome to see a new face of the league, lead what had been for years a middling franchise to greatness. However, what do the stats tell us? Mahomes had a somewhat rough outing. He was 26-42 for 286 yards and 2 TDS and had a rushing TD. There’s nothing wrong with that, but he was sacked 4 times, threw 2 picks, and fumbled the ball twice (both recovered by his team). The Chiefs and Mahomes were just flat-out better than the Niners, even with their mistakes.
Super Bowl LV: A Crushing Defeat
Looking back on this game it is hard to believe something like this could happen. The Chiefs got absolutely flattened by Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 31-9. Patrick Mahomes did not lead a single touchdown drive going 26-49 for 270 yards with 2 picks and another fumble that his team recovered. KC had some offensive line issues and Mahomes was sacked 3 times. He looked terrible in this game at their first attempt to go back-to-back.
Super Bowl LVII: Patrick Mahomes at His Best
This might have been Patrick Mahomes’ best Super Bowl. He was crisp and viciously efficient. 21-27 for 182 yards and 3 TDs. He also scrambled for another 44. It looked like he wasn’t struggling at all. There were two huge turning points in this game that Mahomes did not play a role in though. The first was Jalen Hurts’ costly fumble in the first half that was returned for a touchdown which was essentially a 14-point swing. The second was a tick-tacky pass interference call on James Bradberry on an uncatchable ball that all but guaranteed the Eagles would not have the opportunity to respond at the end of the game. Mahomes was dominant, but his offense only accounted for 31 points as the Eagles scored 35. It was the Eagles’ mistakes and miscues that helped Mahomes along to a 38-35 victory.
Super Bowl LVIII: A Controversial Overtime Win
Patrick Mahomes was again very solid. 34-46 for 333 yards and another impressive 66 yards rushing. He also had 2 TDs, but again had a few iffy moments. He was sacked 3 times, had a bad pick, and again fumbled twice, both recovered by his team. While there are many factors at play, a huge momentum swing for the Chiefs was in the 2nd quarter when Niners superstar LB Dre Greenlaw tore his Achilles. The Niners had to play the majority of the game without their best defensive player. The Niners also, rather infamously, allegedly did not appear to know the rules of OT. Mahomes won against the Niners on a walk-off touchdown, 25-22.
There is no debate, Patrick Mahomes is the best QB of this generation. He’s on the fast track to become maybe the greatest to ever play the game, and some people believe he is already there. This will be his 5th Super Bowl appearance in 7 years as a starting QB. His season has never ended before the Conference Championship. He has won 3/4 Super Bowls he has played in, being the MVP in all 3. Beating him and Andy Reid feels like an impossible task. However, when you go through the numbers and review the games he has played, you find that there are some signs that he is human. He has thrown 5 picks in the 4 Super Bowls he has played in and has had 5 fumbles that all luckily were recovered by his own team. You do not win 3 Super Bowls by accident, but the Kansas City Chiefs have had some incredible luck, especially over these past 3 seasons.
Can the Eagles Take Advantage?
Patrick Mahomes appears to be growing in strength as each Super Bowl. Since his Super Bowl loss, he appears to be getting better, but we have seen him make mistakes on this level. The Eagles are a team known for forcing turnovers. They have 21 over their last 6 games and 10 in the playoffs. All the pressure in this game will sit on Mahomes and the Chiefs’ shoulders as they attempt to do something that has never been done in Super Bowl history: win 3 Super Bowls in a row. Mahomes shredded the Eagles’ defense two years ago, but 8/11 starters are different and arguably better this time around. They also have a defensive coordinator with experience against Mahomes, who is committed to the team and doesn’t have one foot out of the door already, like Jonathan Gannon in 2022. This Eagles defense is the best defense in the NFL and this Eagles team overall will be the best shot anyone will ever have at taking down the Chiefs dynasty.
Is Patrick Mahomes unstoppable, or just lucky? Can the 2024 Eagles take him down on the biggest stage of them all? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or TikTok.