With countless records and an insatiable drive for victory, Tom Brady‘s name has been etched in NFL lore. When you think of football greatness, the retired quarterback’s name instantly comes to mind. Seven Super Bowl wins in 23 illustrious years—that’s a high bar if ever there was one! In today’s game, however, one player might be on the right path: Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes. At 28, he has already won the Super Bowl three times in four years and is on course to complete a three-peat with the Chiefs. But that’s easier said than done, as an ESPN reporter breaks it down perfectly.

Speaking on ESPN’s ‘Get Up’ show on July 12th, Jeff Darlington and the crew debated whether Mahomes and the Chiefs could be the first to win the championship three times in a row. Jeff shared an incident that occurred just after the Chiefs’ Super Bowl LVIII victory over the San Francisco 49ers. Quoting Mahomes, he said, “He’s already talking about the idea of a three-peat.” Jeff noted that this mentality exemplifies where Mahomes is. He wants to achieve something that has not been done before in the NFL. He added, “I don’t think it’s necessarily about trying to get to seven Super Bowls right now. To eclipse Tom Brady by getting to eight, which maybe down the road he will have his eyes on. But right now, it’s about doing things that nobody else has ever done.”

Being an award-winning reporter comes with its perks—you can throw in a couple of stats to sway the argument in your favor. But that’s where you hit the reality with logistics, which is what Jeff did on the show. He stated, “No team has ever won three in a row. But to give you some understanding of how difficult it is – 8 teams have gone back-to-back. None of those eight teams even returned to the Super Bowl in that third year. And three of those eight teams did not even make the playoffs.” 

Now, let’s put things in perspective. The eight teams that Jeff talked about are listed below with the years in which they won back-to-back Super Bowls.

If we exclude the Chiefs, then that leaves us with seven teams. The ESPN reporter further mentioned the three teams out of the eight who failed to make it to the playoffs in the season following their back-to-back wins: the Packers in 1968, the Steelers in 1980, and the Broncos in 1999.

Now, to add some more weight to Jeff’s stats: in American pro football history, only three teams have appeared in three straight Super Bowls. But they have failed to win three in a row: the Dolphins (1971-73), the Buffalo Bills (1990-93), and the Patriots (2016-18). Surprisingly, the Bills managed four straight appearances but failed to convert it into a three-peat.

This is not a curse of any sort. While it might seem like one, the exhaustion and fatigue from repeating the same feat again and again are significant factors. It is not easy to maintain the same levels of energy over three years. But at the same time, it is not impossible!

It is not lost what it would mean, not just for the Chiefs, but for the entire football community, for a team in this time and age to break the barrier of a three-peat. Jeff believes that the Chiefs, led by Mahomes, can do it. Concluding his points, he said, “This is a very difficult task [3-peat]. But one that Patrick Mahomes is capable of achieving.” So, does that mean winning three Super Bowls in a row would land him into ‘GOAT’ debates with Brady?

How is Patrick Mahomes fairing so far, compared to Tom Brady?

That probably could happen. But football is not about ‘what ifs’, ‘maybes’, ‘could haves’, and ‘should haves’. So, talking about what has already happened, Tom Brady has put his boots to rest after playing 23 successful years as a QB. Out of which he spent 20 years with the Patriots. Got comfortable with the system? Think again! He joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020 and won the Super Bowl LV. Not only that, with that win, he took his tally to 7 wins out of 10 appearances. A record of 7-3 in the SB is just outrageous!

That’s the mountain Patrick Mahomes needs to climb. But is he currently cut out to be in the GOAT debate? Mahomes has studied Brady extensively and has discussed Brady’s incredible longevity. He has expressed a desire to emulate Brady’s lengthy career, but that’s just one aspect. Another is what we are about to see. The 28-year-old has spent 7 years with the Chiefs, and like Brady, he played only one game in his rookie year. So, let’s compare Brady’s first 7 seasons with Mahomes’.

Statistically, Mahomes is already outpacing Brady in several areas. Over his first 96 games, Mahomes has more league MVPs (2-0) and leads in passing yards, touchdowns, and wins. Besides, Brady had an incredible start, winning the Super Bowl three times in his first four years as a starter, but Mahomes has already surpassed that with four Super Bowl appearances in his first six full seasons.

Here’s an Easter egg for you all: Mahomes and the Chiefs could have had the three-peat already, had it not been for the Bucs led by Brady in 2021. Also, the Chiefs’ No. 15 has only lost three playoff games. And guess what? Two of those three losses have been against Brady. As we said, football does not operate on ‘could haves’. What’s done is done!

While Mahomes is on track to challenge Brady’s GOAT status, the big question remains: how long can he maintain this exceptional level of performance? With such a strong start, the future looks bright for Mahomes to potentially rewrite the NFL record books.

Is Tom Brady clear? Or does Patrick Mahomes have what it takes to eclipse Mr. Terrific? Jeff Darlington believes so but what are your thoughts?