The most awaited showdown of this year’s NFL season is just around the corner. The Super Bowl will kick off in just about a week’s time. As both the contenders head to Arizona, the Super Bowl will host Patrick Mahomes’ Kansas City Chiefs and Jalen Hurts’ Philadelphia Eagles. As these two stupendous quarterbacks take to the field, here’s a gentle reminder of how they have faired in the postseason during their careers.
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While a post-season push comes only for the extremely skilled, faring well in the playoffs has a lot to do with mentality as well. Being able to perform under the pressure of the playoffs is what differentiates a great athlete. While the Super Bowl will be Hurts’ only 4th appearance in a postseason game, Mahomes brings more experience having already played 12 playoff games.
Being older, Mahomes was drafted into the league in 2017. It took him just a year to make it to the playoffs, guiding the Chiefs to the 2018 AFC Championship game. Though Hurts is younger than Mahomes by three years, the Eagles’ QB was drafted in 2020. In a similar stat to Mahomes’, it also took Hurts just a year for a playoff appearance in 2021. In his first playoff appearance, Hurts took an L from Tom Brady and his Buccaneers squad.
Patrick Mahomes at the playoffs
Patrick Mahomes is 9-3 in the playoffs. His first loss came in the AFC Championship game when the Patriots trumped the Chiefs. Mahomes’ second playoff defeat was also to the hands of Tom Brady at the Super Bowl against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. His final loss was in the 2021 AFC Championship game when The Bengals beat the Chiefs in overtime. In his 9 playoff wins, Mahomes has made it to two Super Bowls. He has won 1 and lost 1. Against the Eagles, Mahomes will appear in his third Super Bowl. This will be his third Super Bowl in just 5 years in the league. With numbers like these, his confidence must be skyrocketing and will be a fear factor for the Eagles.
Jalen Hurts at the playoffs
Jalen Hurts, on the other hand has been 2-1 in the playoffs. In his first-ever appearance in a playoff game, he too suffered a defeat to the hands of a Tom Brady spectacle. This was in last season’s wild-card round. However, this year he has turned it around. With rushing being his differentiator, Hurts has driven the Eagles to this year’s Super Bowl. In this season’s divisional playoff round, Hurts got his first playoff win against the Giants. He later led the Eagles to a win over the 49ers in the NFC Championship game. With this momentum backing him, Hurts will look to bring this energy in Arizona as well.
Will Mahomes take it to double-digit playoff wins or will Hurts make it 3 playoff wins, only time will tell. While Hurts will be playing the most important game of his career yet, Mahomes’ experience will back him, come next Sunday.
