Craig Carton reads between the lines in Patrick Mahomes' Super Bowl 58 press conference: "He threw Josh Allen under the bus"
Patrick Mahomes is preparing for Super Bowl LVIII with an opportunity to further progress his already impressive legacy. This will be his fourth appearance in the big game in just a six-year span. He is also looking to become just the fifth quarterback ever to win three rings before turning 30.
In order to do so, he will need to defeat Brock Purdy, one of the finalists to win the NFL MVP award this year. Patrick Mahomes knows this will be no easy task as he praised the opposing quarterback during one of his recent press conferences. Among his compliments were that Purdy is a "winner" in addition to being able to make the "flashy" plays.
According to Craig Carton, this may have been a direct shot at Josh Allen and some of the other "elite" quarterbacks in the NFL. He pointed out that while they may be flashier than Purdy, they can't truly be classified as winners, especially during the NFL Playoffs.
Carton explained:
"When I saw Mahomes say what he said yesterday, the first thing I thought of was, he just threw Josh Allen under the bus. ... All of these guys that are flashier than Brock Purdy, have better arms than Brock Purdy, are more talented than Brock Purdy, they're not winners. Brock Purdy is a winner, and to me, that's what I take out of it."
Craig Carton also mentioned Lamar Jackson and Justin Herbert as being slighted, but Josh Allen may be the most glaring example. The Buffalo Bills quarterback has been one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL in each of the past four years. His only knock is that he has yet to get to a Super Bowl. Patrick Mahomes is a big reason why, as Josh Allen has a 0-3 postseason record against him.
Super Bowl LVIII will be a new challenge for Mahomes' Kansas City Chiefs when they take on the San Francisco 49ers. While the Chiefs defeated the 49ers in the big game four years ago, Mahomes has never faced off against Purdy head-to-head. The two-time MVP acknowledged that it will be difficult to defeat him.
What did Patrick Mahomes say about Brock Purdy?
During one of his many press confeences ahead of Super Bowl LVIII, Patrick Mahomes had plenty of praise for Brock Purdy. He specifically pointed to his success in consistently winning games.
Here's what Mahomes said, via The Game:
"I've seen Brock play for a long time. ... He's a winner. That's what he is, and it takes something to be a winner every single day, and he's done a great job of that. I'm hoping his first Super Bowl is not like mine, because I won my first Super Bowl."
That first Super Bowl victory he referred to was against the 49ers four years ago. He helped the Chiefs during a fourth-quarter comeback to steal the Vince Lombardi trophy. The 49ers will get their opportunity at revenge this year, though with a different roster, including Purdy making his first Super Bowl appearance.