Skip to Search Skip to Live Player Skip to Content Skip to Footer

Should this Patrick Mahomes fact keep him out of the “GOAT” discussion?

By Jim Louth

The Sports Hub will be out in Phoenix at Super Bowl 57 this week for year 13 of the station’s Radio Row coverage. Personally, this will be my 8th time working the trip that brings the Sports Media industry together in one central location. It’s also a week where hyperbole takes center stage.

While on the flight from Boston to Phoenix I couldn’t stop thinking about the countless times last week I heard the sports talk topic: Does another Super Bowl win put Patrick Mahomes in the same “Goat” conversation with Tom Brady? 

My immediate answer is, of course: “HELL NO!”

“I mean, he hasn’t even…..”

  • James Lang-USA TODAY Sports

    Feb 7, 2021; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (12) greets Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) after Super Bowl LV at Raymond James Stadium.

  • Mahomes Has Never Won a Road Playoff Game

    It’s true, Patrick Mahomes has never won a road game in the playoffs. He’s never even played in a true road playoff game. He’s been the host of eleven playoff games (9-2 record) at Arrowhead and also played in two (1-1), neutral site Super Bowls. Although you could argue that Super Bowl 55 in Tampa against the Bucs was a “road” game.

    That’s when I stopped and forced myself to research the context of what I was about to say next.

    Should this one Patrick Mahomes fact keep him out of the “GOAT” discussion?

    Somewhere in the sky between Springfield, Illinois and Jefferson City, Missouri I started crunching the numbers. Thanks to Delta for the free in-flight WiFi by the way.

  • Jim Louth/98.5 The Sports Hub

    So how does this Mahomes playoff fact stack up against the Tom Brady, Joe Montana and other All-Time greats at the quarterback position?

    The inner football nerd in me was irrationally excited about what I found….

  • Tom Brady’s Road Playoff Resume Mixed

    Brady has a 7-4 career record in road playoff games, but overall it’s a mixed bag.

    Brady started, but didn’t finish the 2001 AFC Championship Game. Drew Bledsoe played the hero in that game. He went 0-3 against contemporary Peyton Manning on the road in the playoffs for his career. He also lost a road playoff game to Jake Plummer and the Broncos.

    He did rebound during the magical 2020 season by going 3-0 on the road beating both Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers along the way before finally topping Mahomes in Super Bowl 55.

    If you want to compare apples to apples, Patrick Mahomes is in his fifth year as a starter. Brady only had one true road playoff win in his first five seasons, but that win was the legendary “Flu Game” in Pittsburgh.

  • Joe Cool Anything But On The Road

    Joe Montana was only 2-5 on the road in playoff games. He won divisional round games against the 1988 Bears, a team at the end of their run, and the 1994 Houston Oilers who were also on the verge of a rebuild.

    As for the Mahomes comparison, Joe Cool didn’t win his first road playoff game until his 9th season as the starter.

    Montana, in contrast, was 10-2 at home in playoff games and 4-0 in neutral site Super Bowls.

  • Peyton’s Place Was Not The Road

    (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

    Linebacker Tedy Bruschi of the New England Patriots sacks Colts quarterback Peyton Manning during the AFC Division playoff game at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts on January 16, 2005. The Patriots beat the Colts 20-3 to advance to the AFC Championship against the Pittsburgh Steelers. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

    Like Montana, Manning was also 2-5 away from home in the playoffs losing to the likes of Jay Fiedler and Chad Pennington along the way. He was also 0-2 against Brady on the road in the postseason.

    His two playoff road wins came against the Trent Green led Chiefs and Steve McNair’s Ravens. That win against Baltimore was a 15-6 final. All 15 points were provided by five Adam Vinatieri field goals.

    Manning was in his 6th season as the starter when he won his first road playoff game.

     

  • Same For Elway

    John Elway was also dominant at home in the playoffs (9-2), but only average on the road (3-3). Elway was 2-3 in neutral site Super Bowls.

    His first road playoff win came in season number 4, and was the stuff of legend…

  • The bottom line is that it’s tough to win on the road in the playoffs, no matter who you are. It’s unfair to paint Mahomes in a bad light because he lacks one key metric that isn’t even his fault. Don’t blame Mahomes for the team’s success.

    It would be nice to see Mahomes and the Chiefs go into a tough environment with a hostile crowd just to see what happens. Maybe we’ll get a little taste of that Sunday. Eagles fans are expected to take over Phoenix this week and the crowd should heavily favor Philadelphia.

Sign me up for the 98.5 The Sports Hub email newsletter!

Get the latest Boston sports news and analysis, plus exclusive on-demand content and special giveaways from Boston's Home for Sports, 98.5 The Sports Hub.

*
*
By clicking "Subscribe" I agree to the website's terms of Service and Privacy Policy. I understand I can unsubscribe at any time.
Tags
,,,,,