On the Monday night before the Super Bowl, Patrick Mahomes was asked about becoming football’s GOAT.
‘I’m just trying to be the greatest Patrick Mahomes that I can be,’ he told reporters from his opening night podium.
Six days later, after being completely rattled by the Eagles’ defense, the quarterback claimed ‘I have to get better.’ And Tom Brady’s GOAT status remains entirely intact.
Brady, who was perched above the field at the Superdome calling the game for FOX, had surely heard the chatter building around Mahomes prior to the game.
The former Patriots star had never completed a three-peat like Kansas City had a chance to, and another ring for Mahomes would have seen him wildly outpace the seven-time champion at this stage of his career.
Brady didn’t capture his fourth Super Bowl until he was 37; Mahomes was looking to do so at 29.
Tom Brady called the Super Bowl for FOX, and the game served as a reminder of his greatness
Patrick Mahomes was rattled by the Eagles’ defense, ending the GOAT arguments for now
That’s far from what happened, though, as the Kansas City passer threw two interceptions (one being a pick-six), coughed up a fumble and took six sacks as he was overwhelmed by the Eagles’ defensive pressure.
And while Brady has not publicly gloated at Mahomes’ expense, Philly’s 44-20 win has served as a chance for Brady fans and defenders to victory lap on his behalf.
A quick search of X shows a swath of posts and memes celebrating his title as football’s greatest ever player, while Bill Simmons called Mahomes’ implosion ‘probably the best moment of Brady’s career since he retired.’
‘And now he goes down with two Super Bowl blowout losses. Brady had zero,’ Simmons continued on his eponymous podcast.
‘Brady lost three times in the Super Bowl, all one score games where he had the ball on the last drive with a chance to like steal the game. Never got blown out. And then, and then he beat Mahomes twice – 2-0 in the playoffs. And it’s like, can we f*****g settle down now for five years with the Mahomes GOAT stuff?’
Others will be on that train as well, and Brady’s presence in the booth on Sunday – as he watched the main threat to his football supremacy flounder – capped off a tumultuous first year with FOX on a positive note.
The icon’s simultaneous roles as a broadcaster and minority owner of the Raiders has rankled fans and media alike, with Brady prohibited from attending practices of other teams or attending production meetings, as others in his role commonly do.
On air, there have been numerous gaffes and controversies as well.
Brady’s presence as a broadcaster while also being part-owner of the Raiders has rankled fans
The quarterback won a staggering seven Super Bowls, six of which came with the Patriots
Mahomes walks off the field after losing Super Bowl LIX to the Eagles on Sunday night
He’s incorrectly identified players (mistaking Najee Harris with Najeh Davenport), bizarrely branded Josh Allen a ‘spaz,’ and – perhaps most importantly – underwhelmed viewers at times with his banal analysis.
Brady also received pushback for his harsh criticism of Daniel Jones – suggesting he would have handled things differently himself after the passer asked for his release from the Giants after being benched and demoted to fourth-string.
The Patriots icon, who admitted he didn’t ‘know how the whole situation went down,’ was accused afterwards by Tiki Barber of being out of the know.
However, Brady has shown improvement as the first year of 10-year, $375million contract wore on.
His performance for the Eagles’ win over the Commanders in the NFC Championship received widespread acclaim, with the quarterback providing his valuable postseason perspective on the emotions of the Philadelphia players and cracking a joke at his own expense about losing in Super Bowl LII.
On Sunday, his call of the Eagles’ win alongside Kevin Burkhardt received mixed reviews, as Awful Announcing noted.
Read More
BREAKING NEWS
Eagles win the Super Bowl as Chiefs are humiliated in front of Donald Trump and Taylor Swift
In fairness to him, the contest – which Philly at one point led 34-0 – was not the most thrilling to call, though perhaps him emerging from his biggest assignment yet without another big blunder is progress.
The outlet called him ‘just fine as a broadcaster,’ a description that seemed worlds away earlier this season.
Ultimately, the game will be remembered far more for the Eagles’ suffocating defense and Jalen Hurts’ MVP performance than any of Brady’s remarks on the mic.
But as Mahomes played arguably the worst game of his career, the scale of Brady’s greatness once again came to the forefront on Sunday night.
The GOAT remains the same until further notice.
