Like Michael Jordan, Patrick Mahomes Has No Peer | Bobby Burack

On February 2, 2020, Patrick Mahomes hoisted the Vince Lombardi trophy above his shoulders for the first time. He had just finished his second full season as a starter in the NFL, having already won the league MVP award a year prior. 

In just two, Mahomes had established himself as the face of the NFL, primed to carry the baton for the next generation.

It was that simple. But sports fans don't like simple. Sports thrive on debate, particularly individual debate – be it Magic vs. Bird, Tiger vs. Phil, or LeBron vs. MJ. 

So, from the moment Mahomes won his first Super Bowl, fans and analysts have looked to establish a rival – a Peyton Manning to Mahomes' Tom Brady. And, oh, have they tried.

It started with Lamar Jackson, who unanimously won the MVP award in 2019. Jackson was/is electric, with the best blend of running and passing skills in league history.

"The next Brady-Manning rivalry? Patrick Mahomes vs. Lamar Jackson could be the one matchup to watch moving forward," read an op-ed published by CBS Sports in 2019.

However, Jackson failed to convert his regular-season success into playoff success and regressed a year later. (Jackson has since rebounded. And some).

Luckily, Deshaun Watson had a breakout season around the same time. Watson edged Mahomes in several statistical categories in 2020, notably completing over 70% of his passes for the year.

The word was that Watson, who was drafted just two picks after Mahomes in 2017, had the intangibles to challenge Mahomes over the next decade. "Mahomes vs. Watson’ could be the NFL’s new ‘Manning vs. Brady,'" acclaimed sports columnist Woody Paige declared.

Then, that offseason, more than two dozen female massage therapists sued Watson for sexual harassment and sexual assault, which he denies. Watson missed the entire 2021 season, as a result. The Texans then traded him to the Browns, where he has been a shell of his former self.

Suffice it to say Deshaun Watson wasn't it.

While Watson sat for the entirety of the 2021 season, Bills quarterback Josh Allen began to make strides. Fans saw Allen as a bigger, faster, and stronger alternative to Mahomes. 

That January, Allen faced Mahomes head-to-head in the postseason for the second time. But this time, he had him. Allen arguably outplayed him. Allen led his team to a 3-point lead over the Chiefs with 13 seconds remaining.

In short, don't leave Mahomes 13 seconds.

Surely, after the most riveting postseason game of this generation, Allen and Mahomes were this era's Brady and Manning.

Not according to Joe Burrow.

Unlike Jackson, Watson, and Allen – Burrow had Mahomes' number. He defeated him head-to-head in the first three meetings, including the 2022 AFC Championship Game. There were arguments that Burrow was even better at the position than Mahomes.

"Joe Burrow’s the best quarterback in football," ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky argued. "Let me be very clear with what I’m saying here Chiefs fans — Patrick Mahomes, best player — he’s the most talented player in the NFL and he’s the most dynamic weapon. Joe Burrow is the best quarterback in football when it comes to quarterbacking."

Oh.

Colin Cowherd didn't go that far, though he had seen enough to declare "Mahomes-Burrow the new Brady-Manning."

Since then, Mahomes has won two more Super Bowls and will appear in a third next month. In the same time span, Burrow and the Bengals are in the midst of a two-year playoff drought.

Joe Burrow is not this era's Peyton Manning. Nor is Lamar Jackson. Deshaun Watson certainly isn't. And while an all-time great himself, neither is Josh Allen. 

Put simply, there is no Peyton Manning of this era (Clay Travis is wrong). There is no equal to Patrick Mahomes.

On February 9, Mahomes will start in his fifth Super Bowl in six seasons – a feat no other quarterback has ever accomplished. Already, Mahomes has amassed the second-most playoff wins for a quarterback in NFL history with 17, trailing only Brady at 35.

"It's kinda like the Michael Jordan era, sometimes you're born in the wrong era," Herm Edwards said of the quarterbacks trying to dethrone Mahomes, who he likened to Jordan.

Well said. Jackson, Allen, and Burrow were born in the wrong era. Mahomes has likely already accomplished more than his supposed rivals will ever achieve. 

Mahomes isn't done, either.

In other words, expect to hear next season that Jayen Daniels is the new Peyton Manning.

Ultimately, Patrick Mahomes has one peer: Tom Brady. And if Mahomes wins a fourth Super Bowl in two weeks, he will be on a trajectory to surpass even Brady.

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