All Patrick Mahomes does is win. He has a 17-3 playoff record in his NFL career. That mark is 10-0 over the past three postseasons and would improve to 11-0 with a Super Bowl LIX victory.
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The only player who has experienced postseason glory as frequently as Mahomes is Tom Brady, who has the most playoff wins (35) in NFL history. While there is no greater winner than Brady, his losses stick out to him more than his triumphs. He said as much Friday afternoon on The Herd when speaking about what Mahomes is facing this weekend.
According to Brady, Mahomes is under “a lot of pressure” to win Super Bowl LIX because, “if [he doesn’t, he’s] 3-2 in Super Bowls. And [that’s] not a great feeling.”
A large chunk of that sentiment stems from his own losses being dramatized to him in person. Some of it also traces back to the immense amount of work he put into chasing victory following his decade-long Super Bowl drought.
“We went 10 years between winning… and I said, ‘these Super Bowl moments that I get a chance to partake in, I’m gonna exhaust every bit of energy I have’… because when you lose this game, it’s on your resume forever… [it] matters more than any loss you’re ever going to be a part of… no one remembers [my AFC Championship losses]… they all tell me about the [Super Bowl losses].”
Brady detailed the extent of his Super Bowl preparation while reflecting on his last appearance. His Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated Kansas City 31-9 in Super Bowl LV. The Bucs’ 31 points were nearly nine more than the Chiefs’ defense allowed per game in the regular season.
Tampa had so much success because Tom maximized his talents in the lead-up to the game.
“My last Super Bowl I was a part of, I was two weeks of watching film… I knew Kansas City’s defense better than they knew themselves… I knew everything they were doing… it was like I had the answers to the test. And that’s where I was great. That’s where my magic superpower was… [in] how fast I could diagnose what [my opponent was] doing.”
Brady believes the mobility of modern NFL quarterbacks has stunted their mental acuity. Manipulating the defense and changing offense at the line of scrimmage used to be commonplace.
These days, things – in Brady’s opinion – are overly simplified because the QB can solve problems by extending the play instead. However, that approach is inconsistent at best.
“I could figure out what [the defense] was doing before they did it because that’s how I learned to play the game. And that’s how I believe most quarterbacks should play the game. Unfortunately… most quarterbacks aren’t playing the game like that anymore… I didn’t snap the ball unless I knew what [the defense] was doing.”
Mahomes and Jalen Hurts will try to decipher one another’s defense as much as possible in Super Bowl LIX. Both the Chiefs (Steve Spagnuolo) and Eagles (Vic Fangio) boast quality defensive coordinators. Whichever of them is more up to the task could be the one who’s holding the Lombardi Trophy once Sunday’s game concludes.
