The GOAT debate is like a bar argument that never ends. One guy swears by stats, another by rings, and someone always brings up the clutch factor. But when Patrick Mahomes stumbled under Philadelphia’s wrath in Super Bowl LIX, the ghost of Tom Brady’s icy resolve haunted every highlight reel.

On February 10, Fox Sports Radio’s Colin Cowherd dropped a truth bomb: “Tom Brady lost three of them by a total combined 15 points Patrick Mahomes has lost two and the point differential is minus 40.” The Eagles’ 40-22 demolition of Kansas City wasn’t just a loss—it was a reality check. Mahomes, despite three titles, now sports a -40 point differential in Super Bowls. Brady? A +36. Brady’s greatest game? The one that also could’ve been his worst. Remember Super Bowl LI?

Brady’s Patriots were down 28-3 against the Falcons. But they made the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history. They moved past the deficit and scored 31 points to end up winning 34-28. Brady completed 43/62 pass attempts for 466 yards. The Falcons? They simply couldn’t move past the 28 mark. And Cowherd didn’t hold back.

“He [Mahomes] has trailed in all five Super Bowls and what really disappointed me… never manipulated the game. He got rattled and frustrated, taken out of his game, and had no second Pitch. Tom Brady always found ways, even when he had the second-best roster,” Cowherd added. Meanwhile, Mahomes’s fourth-quarter touchdowns masked a brutal truth.

His first three quarters were the worst of his career (-0.62 EPA per dropback). “I put us in a bad spot,” Patrick Mahomes admitted postgame. Compare that to Tom Brady, who even in defeat (like Super Bowl LII’s 41-33 loss) never let games spiral. “Brady had bad plays, bad quarters… half bad moments,” Cowherd noted, “this was just awful.”

The Eagles’ defense, likened to Seattle’s 2013 Legion of Boom, turned Mahomes into a panicked rookie. Philly’s relentless pass rush sacked Mahomes six times without blitzing. Rob Gronkowski nailed it: “It was basically the same blueprint we had [in 2021].” Rush four, collapse the pocket.

However, Mahomes isn’t done—yet. At 29, he’s got time. But chasing Brady’s seven rings now feels like scaling Everest in flip-flops. Brady’s secret? Compartmentalizing chaos. Mahomes, meanwhile, admitted postgame, “Anytime you lose a Super Bowl, it’s the worst feeling in the world. It will stick with you the rest of your career.” Meanwhile, Brady had his say on the GOAT debate.

The GOAT debate

Colin set the tone for the GOAT debate in his radio show. “Before we get into that silly GOAT conversation, know that Brady’s superpower was the ability when he had the second-best roster.” However, on The Herd, Brady recalled advice he gave Mahomes after the 2018 AFC Championship game: “I went in the locker room… You’re a great leader and I know you’re going to be back here.”

Meanwhile, Brady did not shy away from sharing his heartbreak with WBZ News. He recalled his painful loss to the Giants in 2007. “It hurts to lose this game,” Brady said. “We lost to the Giants in 2007. That was 17 years ago. We were on the precipice of history and we faced a Giants team that played their hearts out that day and beat us. I still haven’t really lived it down, because you care so deeply.” But Sunday’s meltdown exposed a gap Brady rarely faced: maturity.

Brady’s 21 Super Bowl TDs to six picks? Mahomes has 11 scores and eight turnovers in five appearances. Besides, the Chiefs’ burnout is real. Since 2018, they’ve played 21 postseason games—21 more than the Jets. Fatigue isn’t an excuse, but it’s a factor. As Brady said, “When you win a Super Bowl after you won a few, you don’t wanna win them for yourself. You wanna win them for everyone else.” Does Mahomes have that next level?

Brady’s 28-3 comeback isn’t just a meme—it’s a masterclass in resilience. Mahomes, trailing 34-0 on Sunday, never sparked hope. “No shame losing to Philadelphia,” Cowherd conceded, “But Brady found a way to just get first downs, eat the clock, find your little weaknesses, the tiny little crevices against the Seahawks.” Even in Brady’s worst Super Bowl loss (41-33 to Philly), he never punted. Mahomes? Three first-half three-and-outs.

So, where does this leave the GOAT debate? In tatters—for now. As Eagles fans partied, one question lingered: Can Mahomes ever match Brady’s clutch gene, or is he destined to be the NBA’s Charles Barkley—talented, but ringless when it counts?