Internet sleuths have found that Brock Purdy has been out performing Patrick Mahomes in the last 20 games. But does that make Purdy better than Mahomes?
You would think that quarterback Patrick Mahomes has been dominating the league with the Kansas City Chiefs sitting on top with a 4-0 record. In reality, Mahomes has not been playing his best football. The Chiefs' wins come down to the wire and are often followed by a controversial call by the officiating crew.
Heading into Week 5 of the 2024 NFL season, Mahomes only has 904 passing yards (11th in the league), six touchdowns, five interceptions and a QBR of 52.9 (17th among QBs). So who's out-dueling Mahomes?
Even though the San Francisco 49ers are 2-2, QB Brock Purdy has been having an excellent season. As of now, Purdy has 1,130 passing yards (second in the league), five TDS, two INTS and a QBR of 73.3 (fifth best rank among QBs). Keep in mind, this is without 2023 Offensive MVP Christian McCaffrey in the backfield.
It's not just this season that Purdy's play has been better than Mahomes. In their last 20 games, Purdy has statistically come out on top.
Purdy has led Mahomes in passing yards (5,410), TD/INT (36/13) ratio, passer rating (111.3) and yards per attempt (9.6) these last 20 games.
While Purdy is playing better than Mahomes, the argument against the 2022 "Mr. Irrelevant" is that he still hasn't walked away with the hardware.
Mahomes is often compared to Tom Brady, especially because he is building a dynasty with the Chiefs and is currently on the road to a three-peat (which would be the first in NFL history). While Brady is considered the GOAT, due in large part to his seven Super Bowl rings, it doesn't mean he was always the best every season.
In 2016, Matt Ryan was better than Tom Brady. Ryan threw for 4,944 yards with 38 TDS and a 117.1 passer rating, which earned him the MVP award that season. Brady finished the season with 3,554 yards, 28 TDS and a passer rating of 112.2. But in the end, Brady walked away with the Lombardi Trophy.
Then in 2018, Mahomes was on an absolute tear and outshined the GOAT. He threw for 5,097 yards, 50 TDS, and 12 INTS while becoming the only QB to throw for more than 5,000 yards in a single season in both college and in the NFL. Brady recorded 4,355 yards, 29 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Although Brady wasn't victorious in the Super Bowl, he still made an appearance in the big game.
Even Drew Brees was making a strong case for being the GOAT when he became the record holder for most TD passes in home games and had a better TD-pass percentage than Brady. But Brady walked away with the rings.
It will continue to be a debate about who's better. It will for sure make fun segments on TV. Maybe the real conversation is is it better to win it all at the end of the season or out perform your competition throughout the season?
