With Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes at the helm, Super Bowl LV features a quarterback storyline about as good as it gets. The two players are at opposite ends of their career arc. One has dominated the NFL for nearly two decades. Meanwhile, the other is just beginning a potential era of similar dominance. In what is set to be a historical Super Bowl LV, we examine the history of Brady vs. Mahomes.
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How many times have Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes played each other?
Super Bowl LV will mark the fifth time that Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes have squared off. From their first clash back in Week 6 of the 2018 NFL season to their most recent in Week 12 of the 2020 season, they have been close-fought affairs.
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In fact, neither quarterback has engineered a blow out win. Furthermore, each game was decided by just one touchdown or less. Two of the Brady vs. Mahomes battles have come down to just a field goal difference.
What is Tom Brady’s record vs. Patrick Mahomes?
From their four previous matchups, the series is tied with two wins apiece. Brady won the first two games on the way to his sixth Super Bowl. Mahomes gained revenge with his first win over Brady on the way to his first Super Bowl success. Additionally, this season, Mahomes tied the series with a win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 12.
In what may be the last Brady vs. Mahomes battle, one will take the upper hand in Super Bowl LV. If their previous battles are anything to go by, we should be in for a classic. Below we take a look at their highlights from the first four “Brady vs. Mahomes” clashes.
New England Patriots 43, Kansas City Chiefs 40
The first chapter of the Brady vs. Mahomes story altered the destiny of the 2018 NFL season. The Kansas City Chiefs traveled to Foxborough with a 5-0 record and the league’s most potent offense. After a stuttering start, the Patriots sat at 3-2 following defeats to the Detroit Lions and Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Patriots and Chiefs traded early field goals before Brady and Sony Michel grabbed the game by the horns. Two rushing touchdowns from Michel and Brady’s touchdown pass to Julian Edelman gave the Patriots a 24-9 halftime lead. With the opportunity to bring the game within a score late in the second quarter, Mahomes threw an interception following a majestic drive down the field.
Mahomes came out firing in the second half. A beautifully placed pass to Kareem Hunt — a perpetual thorn in the Patriots’ side — dragged the Chiefs back into the game. Two touchdown passes to Tyreek Hill sandwiched successive field goal drives from Brady, giving the Chiefs their first lead early in the fourth quarter.
Eventually, a Brady vs. Mahomes touchdown battle broke out late in the fourth. Brady’s pump-fake froze Bashaud Breeland, and Tom tumbled into the end zone.
Another beautiful Mahomes deep ball found Hill, whose speed turned a big gain into a touchdown. Crucially, the Chiefs left time on the clock for Brady to drive downfield, setting up the game-winning field goal.
Advantage Tom Brady in the blossoming Brady vs. Mahomes rivalry.
New England Patriots 37, Kansas City Chiefs 31 (OT)
Mahomes would have his opportunity for revenge not long after. Brady vs. Mahomes II would make up the storyline of the AFC Championship Game. Would Tom Brady get to his ninth Super Bowl? Or would Mahomes make the Super Bowl in his first season as a starter in Kansas City?
Brady vs. Mahomes II would get off to a similar start as the first rendition. In a low scoring first half, the Patriots ran out to a 14-point lead. Once again, Sony Michel would score the game’s opening touchdown. Attempting to open up the lead early in the second quarter, Brady would throw the first of two interceptions to Chiefs linebacker Reggie Ragland. However, he atoned with his only touchdown pass of the game just before halftime.
The second half saw a Kansas City transformation. Mahomes threw for three touchdowns that would give the Chiefs a 21-17 lead. The third was a result of a Brady interception that gave the Chiefs excellent field position.
As the two teams traded rushing touchdowns, the Patriots retook the lead. However, Harrison Butker’s field goal with 0:08 on the clock took the game to overtime. Rex Burkhead — whose touchdown had given the Patriots the late lead — found the end zone in overtime to send New England to the Super Bowl.
Despite throwing just one touchdown to Mahomes’ three, Brady had won the second rivalry game. Tom Brady would go on to win the Super Bowl, while Patrick Mahomes would have to wait just one more year.
Kansas City Chiefs 23, New England Patriots 16
Brady vs. Mahomes III began in disappointingly familiar fashion for the Kansas City quarterback. Brady opened the scoring with a 37-yard touchdown to Julian Edelman. When the Chiefs could only follow up with a Harrison Butker field goal, the inevitable “fall behind/comeback in the second half/ultimately lose” scenario seemed to be at hand.
Mahomes had other plans, however. On 2nd and 25 early in the second quarter, he uncorked a deep pass to Mecole Hardman. The speedy wide receiver evaded initial contact to sprint into the end zone. As a result, it was a huge turning point in the Brady vs. Mahomes rivalry. This was the first time the Chiefs had a touchdown in the first half.
In response, Brady would find Chiefs cornerback Breeland — the man he’d embarrassed in the first Brady vs. Mahomes encounter — to give Kansas City the ball straight back. Just minutes later, Travis Kelce’s rushing touchdown from the wildcat formation gave the Chiefs a double-digit lead they’d never relinquish.
Brady could only manage 169 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. However, the most important statistic in the game was the three sacks Brady sustained. The Chiefs pressured him all night long, finally providing the blueprint on how to defeat him. Mahomes, meanwhile, had his first victory in the Brady vs. Mahomes rivalry.
Kansas City Chiefs 27, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24
For the second time in the Brady vs. Mahomes rivalry, we have a regular season preview for their postseason matchup. If Super Bowl LV is half as entertaining as their Week 12 clash, then we’re in for a Super Bowl classic. The two quarterbacks combined for 807 passing yards and 6 touchdowns from 90 passing attempts.
If one thing was evident from their regular season tilt, it’s that Andy Reid has learned his lessons from past encounters. Mahomes and the Chiefs had fallen behind early in each of their first three games and had to play catch up. If there is one quarterback, in particular, you don’t want to give an early lead to, it’s Tom Brady.
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They may have settled for an opening field goal, but Mahomes had connected twice with Tyreek Hill to give Kansas City a 17-0 lead by the end of the first quarter. Despite Ronald Jones’ touchdown reception clawing points back for Tampa Bay, they still headed to the locker room 13 points behind Mahomes and the Chiefs.
The Hill show continued in the second half, with Mahomes finding the diminutive receiver for a third touchdown to end the third quarter with a 17-point lead. However, Brady showed that you can never rule him out. Two unanswered fourth-quarter tosses to Mike Evans dragged the Bucs back within three points with four minutes to go.
However, there would be no fairytale finish for Brady and the Bucs. As a result, Mahomes leveled the Brady vs. Mahomes rivalry. Remarkably, the defeat would be the last of the Tampa Bay season, setting up a Tom Brady vs. Patrick Mahomes rematch in Super Bowl LV.
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Oliver Hodgkinson is a Pro Football Network staff writer. You can follow him on Twitter at @ojhodgkinson.