Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady sat down for an interview before the Super Bowl, with Mahomes on the verge of making history. But after a crushing defeat, his championship dreams slipped away. Now, that conversation between the two QBs carries even more weight—not just because they share the same early-career Super Bowl record (three wins, two losses), but because Mahomes has now experienced firsthand the heartbreak of falling short on the sport’s biggest stage multiple times.
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Mahomes told Brady about the weight of expectations that come with winning and reaching the Super Bowl year after year—something the former Patriots star knows all too well. That level of success creates a mindset where anything less than a championship feels like failure. The pressure only intensifies as losses pile up, making the vision you had for the season harder to sustain.
He reflected on last season’s Super Bowl run when the Chiefs weren’t playing their best football. Losses mounted, and many doubted whether their style of play could translate to postseason success. But instead of folding, they embraced the challenge, proved the doubters wrong, and found ways to win when it mattered most.
The Chiefs QB aimed to follow the same trajectory this year after a regular season that ended with a 15-2 record, though every win was by a single score. As a result, many questioned whether he could replicate the success of the past two seasons.
Yet, Mahomes still led the Chiefs to the Super Bowl for the third straight time. That relentless push to the top, he believes, is what drives him to be “great,” even though the weight of expectations can be overwhelming.
“100 percent. I think more than anything, it’s especially when you are not winning. I think you look back at last year’s Super Bowl. There’s so much stress on you to like — we got to figure out. There’s no way to have down years. You have to find ways to get to the Super Bowl every single year. That does weigh on you but at the same time, it’s what pushes you to be great.”
After their Super Bowl victory in Vegas over the 49ers, Patrick Mahomes made a bold promise. Despite celebrating their third Lombardi Trophy in four years, his mind was already on the next season—and the pursuit of an unprecedented three-peat.
He didn’t hesitate to reassure his co-captain, Chris Jones, that they’d be back on that stage next year, using the moment to motivate him to stay with the team for the long haul. And true to his word, Mahomes did exactly that, proving once again what it takes to lead and keep a team together.
That relentless pursuit of greatness mirrors Tom Brady’s mindset. Year after year, Brady chased glory, and even when he fell short, he never stopped striving to return to the top.
If Mahomes and the Chiefs maintain that same championship mentality, they have nothing to worry about. Once you develop a winning mindset and get a taste of success, there’s no going back to “normal.” They’ll keep pushing forward—because that’s what greatness demands.
