NFL analyst Nick Wright turned quite a few heads by highlighting a remarkable butterfly effect that contributed to Patrick Mahomes‘ current stature. Wright pointed out that if Chris Jones hadn’t sacked Joe Burrow in the 2023 AFC Championship, Mahomes and the Chiefs might not be chasing the three-peat. In fact, Wright believes Mahomes could have — not one but two — fewer Super Bowl wins.
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According to the analyst, if Joe had finished that drive against the Chiefs, Mahomes would firstly not make it to the Super Bowl and win it.
Secondly, Wright argued that if the Chiefs hadn’t won the Lombardi Trophy in 2023, they would have certainly not had the strength to make the comeback victory against the 49ers this year.
“I’m actually of the belief that if the Chiefs hadn’t won the previous year, I don’t know if they have the confidence to pull out of the spiral that was the end of last year.”
“IF Patrick Mahomes has a rival, it’s Joe Burrow. But Mahomes doesn’t have a rival.”
— @getnickwright explains: pic.twitter.com/svgYGebS4s
— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) August 6, 2024
So essentially, Jones’ sacking of Burrow helped the Chiefs win 2 back-to-back Super Bowls and propelled Mahomes to the GOAT debate with Brady. Or, at least, that’s what Wright is arguing.
That said, while most netizens agreed with Wright on the significance of Jones’ sack, many were irked by his extreme interpretation of the butterfly effect.
Wright’s statement angers netizens
For Wright, the sacking not only helped Mahomes win two Super Bowls but also reach a stage today where he has zero rivals. For Wright, due to Burrow’s 3-0 record, the Bengals QB was the true rival to Patrick. But since the sacking, the Chiefs QB has progressed massively in personal and collective accolades, making him untouchable today. He argued:
“Since Joe Burrow last beat Patrick, Mahomes has accomplished essentially Steve Young’s career. Seven playoff wins to eight, two Super Bowls to one in Patrick’s favor, two MVPs to one in Steve Young’s favor. So the further we get from that AFC title game that Joe Burrow won (in 2021), the harder it is to say they’re a true rivalry.”
NFL fans, however, disagreed with Wright’s stance. For starters, some argued that even if Burrow isn’t a rival this season, there are young stars like Jordan Love who have a positive record over Mahomes.
Similarly, others argued that it’s Nick’s bias against Josh Allen that is making him overlook the Bills’ QB. For context, Allen is 3-3 against Mahomes.
Love is 1-0 against him.
— Jon Murray (@TheJonMurray51) August 6, 2024
Nick Wright will go to any measure to attempt to discredit Josh Allen and the Bills.
— Mark K. (@billsfannum1) August 6, 2024
One fan interestingly rephrased Nick’s statement and argued that it’s not Mahomes but the Chiefs who don’t have rivals anymore. Because Patrick was barely the best QB statistically last season.
Mahomes has many rivals, the Chiefs as an organization however do not. Something the other QBs aren’t lucky enough to fall into.
— Hannah (@JuventinaHannah) August 6, 2024
A Chiefs fan, meanwhile, jokingly put the Raiders’ name in the ring for their “Kermit The Frog” joke.
This year the rival is the Raiders for the puppet Kermit comment. They in the crosshairs for that SUCKA sh!t
— • $ c o t t i e~R o c • (@Roc4EvaEva) August 6, 2024
The NFL has consistently demonstrated its competitive nature over the years. There’s a reason why no team has managed a three-peat, despite this being a common achievement in other sports leagues. Therefore, if Mahomes & Co. achieves the three-peat, it will be hard to argue against the analyst.
Until then, whether it’s Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Jordan Love, or CJ Stroud, every QB has an equal chance to win it all this season.
