Tom Brady is the greatest quarterback of all time, but he’s not the best quarterback in the NFL at this exact moment. Patrick Mahomes is simply more talented and is performing at a higher level.
While a Super Bowl — and any football game — is not technically a matchup between quarterbacks, Mahomes has a habit of putting pressure on the opposing quarterback, if only because the Chiefs offense puts up so many points. So any quarterback facing Kansas City must handle the pressure of matching the Chiefs’ offensive production.
And that’s where Brady may go awry on Super Bowl Sunday. It has always been foolish to bet against Brady, the same man who overcame a 28-3 deficit in Super Bowl LI and an 0-2 start during the 2001 season before winning Super Bowl XXXVI. But we saw cracks in Brady’s previously impenetrable facade during the NFC title game. His three interceptions let Green Bay back into the game, and if it weren’t for a few mind-boggling decisions from Aaron Rodgers and Matt LaFleur, the Packers might have won.
It feels likely that Brady’s magic will come up short in Super Bowl LV.
