It’s not at all reckless to already put Patrick Mahomes’ name amongst the best to ever do it. He’s looking to tie a bow on his seventh NFL season with his third Super Bowl title for the Kansas City Chiefs, a level of success that is essentially unheard of.
Before we can move forward with Super Bowl Sunday, let’s take a look back at what Mahomes has done in this spot in the past.
How Many Super Bowls Has Patrick Mahomes Played In?
On Sunday, Mahomes will be starting in a Super Bowl for the fourth time in his career. How impressive is that number before celebrating his 29th birthday?
For some context, 12 franchises have yet to appear in the Big Game four times!
Super Bowl LIV: Beat the San Francisco 49ers 31-20
Mahomes: 26/42 for 286 yards, two TDs, and two INTs (29 rush yards, TD)
In just his second season as a full-time starter, Mahomes led his team to the promised land. The regular season started with a four-game winning streak and ended with six straight victories before running the table as the AFC’s No. 2 seed.
While the final score indicates a comfortable win, this game was anything but as the 49ers led 20-10 through three quarters. They say legacies are made late in big games, and if that’s true, what Mahomes did in this game will be remembered for a long time.
The Chiefs had three full drives (excluding the victory formation set of plays to close out the game) that started in the fourth quarter …
- 10 plays for 83 yards, touchdown (Travis Kelce catch)
- Seven plays for 65 yards, touchdown (Damien Williams catch)
- Two plays for 42 yards, touchdown (Damien Williams run)
In less than 6.5 minutes of game time, the narrative shifted from Mahomes being too young to handle the biggest stage to us questioning if we were watching a prodigy taking his first step toward immortality.
Mahomes was named Super Bowl MVP, and while he wasn’t flawless, he delivered every time his team needed him. He ran for a score to answer San Francisco’s opening-drive field goal and played clean football following a fourth-quarter interception with his team trailing.
It looked at various points during the season that Father Time was preparing to conquer Tom Brady. Did we witness a change of the guard?
Super Bowl LV: Lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-9
Mahomes: 26/49 for 270 yards, zero TDs, and two INTs (33 rush yards)
Not so fast!
Brady took his talents south, threw 40 touchdown passes, and had us all double-checking his birth certificate. In his first season with the Buccaneers, Brady led them to 11 regular-season wins and entered the Super Bowl with six straight 30+ point efforts.
Mahomes continued to impress, as he saw his completion percentage and touchdown rate both improve from the season prior while his interception rate fell. But he didn’t have an answer for Tampa Bay’s swarming defense.
MORE: Does Mahomes Think He Can Catch Tom Brady?
It wasn’t until their final possession of the first half that the Chiefs picked up 35+ yards on a drive. They simply couldn’t get out of their own way (11 penalties for 120 yards).
Brady took home the MVP (21 of 29 for 201 yards and three touchdowns) in what seems likely to be a critical chip in the GOAT discussions. Just 12 months prior, he looked like a quarterback that had finally succumbed to age — and here he was beating the man we spent the season building up as an all-time great.
There was no longer any doubt that Mahomes was the real deal, but did we jump the gun by thinking that his success qualified him to be next in line for the throne?
Super Bowl LVII: Beat the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35
Mahomes: 21/27 for 182 yards, three TDs, and zero INTs (44 rush yards)
No dice!
The Chiefs rattled off 10 wins in 11 games to end the 2022 regular season, looking next to unstoppable at times. They earned the AFC’s top seed and seemed to have that “clutch” gene that great teams so often do.
- Divisional Round: 75-yard drive to give them a two-possession lead late
- Conference Championship: A big punt return set up the game-winning field goal with three seconds left
Mahomes was as great as ever (he became the first player in the 2000s to win both the regular season and Super Bowl MVP awards), and he used the biggest stage to prove it again.
MORE: How the Chiefs Discovered Mahomes
Kansas City scored on each of its final two possessions, the last of which was a clock-killing 66-yard drive that set up a game-winning, 27-yard field goal with eight seconds left.
Jalen Hurts did everything humanly possible to take down Superman (304 passing yards and three rushing touchdowns), but the ball was in Mahomes’ hands late with the game in the balance.
Was there ever any doubt?
That means that Mahomes averages 246 passing yards and 1.7 passing touchdowns with 35.3 rushing yards in Super Bowls against the best competition that the NFC has to offer. Those numbers essentially mirror what Josh Allen produced this season (253.3 pass yards and 1.7 passing scores with 30.8 rushing yards).
As the 2023 NFL season comes to a close, the 2024 NFL Draft is on the horizon. Pro Football Network has you covered with everything from team draft needs to the Top 100 prospects available. Plus, fire up PFN’s Mock Draft Simulator to put yourself in the general manager’s seat and make all the calls!
