The 2023 NFL regular season absolutely delivered. From Lamar Jackson’s MVP antics to CJ Stroud’s unbelievable rookie season, we witnessed history being made during all 17 game weeks. But once the dust settles, only one man can actually hail himself as the greatest QB of all time. If Patrick Mahomes is left holding the Lombardi Trophy, he will go down as the greatest quarterback of all time.

What makes Patrick Mahomes’ 2023 season unmatched?

At 28, Patrick Mahomes is a 2-time Super Bowl Champion, 2x Super Bowl MVP, and 2x NFL MVP. He’s been at the heart of the Kansas City Chiefs’ dynastical run for the past 6 years, taking names and breaking records. His quick scrambles, laser-like throws, and the ability to stay calm in the pocket have lifted him into the upper echelon of legendary quarterbacks.

But what separates him from the Bradys, Montanas, and Mannings we’ve seen over the history of the NFL? The 2023 Chiefs season got off to a rocky start, succumbing to the Detroit Lions in their first game of the season. Many wrote off the Chiefs after their losing start, but things were only about to worsen.

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Six wins later and sitting pretty at the top of the AFC West, the Chiefs hit a roadblock named Russell Wilson. The Broncos halted the Chiefs’ momentum and set the tone for a rough 2nd half of the season. Losses to the high-flying Eagles in a Super Bowl 57 rematch and their AFC rivals Buffalo brought little shock. What made many lose hope in the Chiefs’ season was when they struggled to beat Brandon Staley’s LA Chargers, who clearly struggled during the entire season.

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But like the NBA’s Golden State Warriors, the Chiefs turned it on during the playoffs.

Despite an unimpressive 11-6 record (their worst since 2017), Mahomes and Co. made the playoffs by the skin of their teeth. But once the playoffs were underway, the reigning champions and their fearless leader turned it on.

Mahomes dismissed his former WR1 Tyreek Hill in embarrassing fashion, leading the Chiefs to a dominant 26-7 win over the Miami Dolphins. In the divisional round, they sent their fierce rivals, the Buffalo Bills, packing. And finally in the AFC Championship, touted as the ‘Super Bowl before the Super Bowl’, the current MVP fell criminally short as Mahomes and Co completed a 3-0 clean sweep on the road.

The win over the Ravens took Mahomes’ playoff record to a mind-boggling 14-3. To put into context, Tom Brady has a playoff record of 35-13, Peyton Manning’s record stands at 14-13, barely scratching a 50% success rate. If this isn’t dominance, I don’t know what is.

What else makes Mahomes rank above the rest of the field?

While we can look at stats and numbers all we want, there remain certain qualitative metrics that are hard to measure. The numero uno metric is Mahomes’ ability to handle pressure and keep looking toward the future. In a now-viral video (for all the wrong reasons), Mahomes and head coach Andy Reid are heard reminding their fellow players and coaching staff of ‘one more game to go’.

But for Mahomes, it just isn’t about one more game or one more season. In conversation with Nate Burleson ahead of the big game, Mahomes revealed his change in attitude as he faces constant criticism despite the game-winning drives. “I think this is the year that actually has kind of came out that way,” said Mahomes on the Chiefs’ dynastical run. “You turn into that villain, you turn into that team that everybody doesn’t want to win. You have to embrace that too in order to be great.”

All legendary athletes echoed the same emotions during the toughest moments of their careers. Michael Jordan battled immense pressure from an entire organization during the Bulls’ NBA dominance. Tom Brady carried Bill Belichick and the Patriots to 6 Super Bowls but left on an unsavory note too. Like Jordan and Brady, Patrick Mahomes too is on a very similar path- becoming one of the GOATS, and certifiably the greatest quarterback of all time, if he ends the night with the Lombardi Trophy.

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