Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady were not often compared before the 2024 season, but now the two are compared like Joe Montana and Brady were. It has usually been positive comparisons, but one NFL analyst believes Mahomes is in line for a negative comparison, and it may not be his fault.
On a Sept. 30 edition of "First Take," NFL analyst Shannon Sharpe compared the Tyreek Hill-less Chiefs with the New England Patriots in the 2010s.
"At some point in time, as great a quarterback as you are, and we saw that with Tom Brady, as the talent pool started to drain in New England, even his greatness wasn't able to lift a sinking ship," Sharpe said (7:29).
"At some point in time, it's going to catch up, because you're going to start asking guys to play that you weren't counting on. There's a reason why they're called backups," he added.
Brady made deep playoff runs from 2005 until 2013 but didn't win it all. Many blamed the lackluster surrounding cast for his struggles deep into January and February. However, starting in 2014, Brady was back with a vengeance, as players like Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman hit their peaks.
With Tyreek Hill gone and Travis Kelce only getting older, more pressure is on Mahomes than ever before.
Patrick Mahomes continues eye-opening regular-season slump through second straight month
Patrick Mahomes has thrown for 50 touchdowns in a season, but fans reckon it feels like a lifetime since he has displayed that level of dominance.
This season, Mahomes has thrown for just six touchdowns and five interceptions. While his completion percentage has continued to climb this season to the best of his career, his ability to score with his arm hasn't.
Mahomes' slump is not a brand-new development either. He hit a regular season wall in the later part of the regular season last year. That slump has continued into this year. In his last nine regular season games, Mahomes has had either a 1:1 touchdown-interception ratio or worse.
Of course, Mahomes has also won a Super Bowl during his slump, leading many Chiefs fans to brush the decline under the rug. However, quarterbacks with this level of production rarely manage to continue success over a long period. Will the Chiefs prove that their defense and situational football can take them just as far as Patrick Mahomes' 50 touchdown passes?
