When the Chiefs battle the 49ers in Week 7, Patrick Mahomes will enter with even more confidence than usual after beating San Francisco for two of his three Super Bowl victories. He's one short of matching the number of rings Joe Montana won by the Bay, and he's also well on his way to catching Tom Brady's record seven Super Bowl titles.
Montana was long seen as the greatest QB of all-time until Brady, a Bay Area native who idolized him, burst onto the scene to take the mantle of GOAT while winning big with the Patriots and Buccaneers.
When Mahomes faces the 49ers again in a Super Bowl 58 rematch, he will play near Montana's old stomping grounds while a retired Brady will be in the broadcast booth calling the "America's Game of the Week" for Fox Sports.
Here's comparing Mahomes' GOAT resume through his first six-plus seasons as a starter (101 starts) and what's he done before turning 30 to what Montana and Brady accomplished in their Hall of Fame careers.
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Is Patrick Mahomes the GOAT QB?
Patrick Mahomes' stats compared to Tom Brady and Joe Montana
Mahomes has thrown 225 TD passes (an average of 2.2 per start) at 7.9 yards per attempt with a 102.9 passer rating. Brady ended up with a record 649 TD passes (an average of 1.9 per start) at 7.4 yards per attempt with a 97.2 passer rating. Mahomes is just 0.2 short of passing Aaron Rodgers for the best-ever passer rating.
Montana had just 273 TD passes, but it was a different era of more balanced offenses and more prolific rushing. He averaged 7.5 yards per attempt with a 92.3 passer rating. Mahomes also has the easy edge over both in completion percentage at 66.6.
Mahomes is 79-22 through his first 101 starts, the best mark all-time. Over the same time, Brady went 77-24 and Montana was 69-32.
Mahomes has won regular-season MVP twice in his first six starting seasons. Brady had yet to win any one of his three that early for the Patriots, and Montana didn't win his two until late in his career.
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Patrick Mahomes' playoff record compared to Tom Brady and Joe Montana
Mahomes already having three Super Bowl rings is his biggest GOAT calling card. Brady also had three rings in his first six seasons, including his lone repeat. Montana had two of his four with the 49ers, a few years before his repeat run.
Montana never threw an interception in his Super Bowls and went 4-0 when playing in them. Brady was 7-3 in Super Bowls, losing to the Giants twice and the Eagles. Brady's Buccaneers did beat Mahomes' Chiefs in Super Bowl 55, but Mahomes is up to 3-1, giving him the most Super Bowl appearances in his first six starting seasons.
Mahomes is 15-3 overall in the playoffs. Brady won 10 consecutive games to begin his postseason career but then went 4-4 to end up 14-4 through his first 18 starts. Montana also was 14-4. Mahomes holds the highest passer rating of anyone all-time in the playoffs at 105.8.
With that record, Mahomes has a .833 playoff winning percentage. Brady ended up at .729 (35-13), and Montana finished his career at .696 (16-7).
By every modern statistical and championship measurement, Mahomes is on the GOAT trajectory. The only thing missing is continued durability and longevity — and at least a couple of more Super Bowl titles — but his career so far suggests he will play at a big-winning high level for many more seasons with his prime yet to come.
