The “Godfather” movie franchise came out a half-century ago. One of the famous lines — “keep your friends close and your enemies closer” — rings true for Tom Brady today. I wonder if he circled Weeks 3 and 4 on the calendar when he unretired, as he’s scheduled to face rivals Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes in consecutive games, a set of matchups anyone would salivate over. That may be especially true, though, for Brady. Nobody can touch his GOAT status, but this could be his final chance to cement his bragging rights over his contemporaries, two quarterbacks consistently mentioned in the “best QB in the league” debates.
QB royalty
Before we get to Brady’s domination in these rivalries, let’s revel in the fact that the three most decorated quarterbacks in today’s game are about to go toe to toe.
Brady, Rodgers and Mahomes are the only three active players in the league with an NFL MVP and Super Bowl ring. Nobody is falling off either: they have won four of the last five league MVP awards. They also own three of the top four touchdown-to-interception ratios all time. There are a lot of superstar QBs in today’s game, but this trio ranks 1-2-3 in touchdown passes since Mahomes became the Chiefs starter in 2018.
You may have heard they have also etched their names into the history books:
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Brady is the NFL’s all-time leader in championships won (7), Super Bowl MVPs (5), games won (245), touchdown passes (626) and passing yards (84,922), among a billion other records.
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Rodgers may be the most efficient QB of all time, holding the best touchdown-to-interception ratio ever, while ranking second in MVPs (4) behind Peyton Manning.
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Mahomes has the highest passer rating in league history and is the youngest QB to win Super Bowl MVP.
Bottom line. They may go down as three of the greatest quarterbacks ever and they all tango in the next two weeks. Buckle up!
Brady’s bragging rights
This sets up a near unprecedented QB double-dip. It will be the second time in NFL history a QB with an MVP and Super Bowl MVP starts consecutive games against an MVP and Super Bowl MVP QB.
And wouldn’t you know it, the other instance involved the same trio in the exact same order, the last time they all played each other. In the 2020 postseason, Brady and the Buccaneers beat Rodgers and Co. in the NFC Championship Game, followed by Mahomes and the Chiefs.
You would have to imagine both are champing at the bit for a…
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