Cowboys legend Michael Irvin piles more pressure on Patrick Mahomes for Super Bowl LVIII: “You don’t want that on your resume”
Patrick Mahomes is seeking his third Super Bowl ring in four appearances across just six years and he's not even 30 years old yet. He is already climbing the ladder in popular debates about who the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history are. Some even believe he can one day challenge Tom Brady for his undisputed title as the GOAT.
Former wide receiver and current NFL analyst Michael Irvin recently brought up Mahomes' legacy during an episode of Undisputed. He explained what Super Bowl 58 could mean for his place in history and why he believes the quarterback is under an immense amount of pressure, especially with Brock Purdy being his direct opponent in the big game.
Irvin explained:
“The pressure clearly lies straight on Patrick Mahomes way more than Brock Purdy in this situation. If Patrick Mahomes loses this game somehow, he’ll still be in the GOAT conversation, he’ll still be one of the greatest. But it’s that GOAT conversation that matters most in this situation because once we get that final tally, then we’ll dig down deeper past the tally to see who’s really the GOAT."
“If Patrick gets to four Super Bowls, he wins four. Joe [Montana] has four, Terry Bradshaw won four. If he gets to four, I don’t need him to win seven to pass Tom Brady with what I see on the football field. I can say now, you can get in the GOAT conversation if you can just get to four."
“So, when I say the pressure’s on him, it’s not the devastating pressure where, ‘It’s gonna ruin who he is,’ but when we talk about the GOAT and tally it all up. When you lose to the last pick in the draft, when you’ve come in and taken out all those first picks in the draft, and the MVPs like Lamar Jackson, and then you lose to Brock Purdy? You don’t want that on your resume, let’s be real.”
While Brock Purdy will face the pressure of trying to win his first Super Bowl ring, Michael Irvin believes it's not greater than what Patrick Mahomes is facing. He explained that losing to "Mr. Irrelevant" could be devastating to his legacy when potentially chasing down Tom Brady for the GOAT title.
For what it's worth, Brady did lose three Super Bowls in addition to winning seven of them. He twice lost to Eli Manning and also suffered a defeat to Nick Foles, a backup quarterback at the time. Mahomes enters Super Bowl 58 with a 2-1 record in the big game, with his one loss coming head-to-head against Brady. This could play a major role in the GOAT debate many years down the road.
What is Patrick Mahomes' record against Tom Brady?
Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes have faced off against each other six times during their careers with an even 3-3 record. Mahomes has dominated the series during the regular season, winning three of their four games head-to-head. Where Bady holds the advantage is during the NFL Playoffs, where he has a perfect 2-0 record against Mahomes.
His first victory came during the 2018-19 AFC championship game when the New England Patriots defeated the Kansas City Chiefs. The other came in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Super Bowl LV victory against the Chiefs. With Brady now officially retired, this record will likely stand forever in his favor during any potential GOAT debates against Mahomes.