Weird story. Did you know Patrick Mahomes and Russell Wilson are following the same path in the NFL so far?
Maybe they have more in common than just being two of the greatest quarterbacks out there after all.
History repeated itself after the Chiefs’ upsetting loss in the the Super Bowl against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers led by Tom Brady.
Both Wilson and Mahomes led their respective teams, the Seattle Seahawks and the Kansas City Chiefs, to the playoffs in their first season starting.
The Seahawks QB threw for 385 yards and rushed for 60 yards to give his team the 28-27 lead over the Falcons in the Divisional Round before Atlanta kicked in the game-winning field goal. Whereas, Patrick Mahomes lost to the New England Patriots led by, once again, Tom Brady in overtime 37-31.
And what happened in their second year as a starter? Well, they both went to the Super Bowl and won it. Coincidence? The Seahawks won the Super Bowl XLVIII 43-8 in 2014 against the Denver Broncos. Mahomes also gave Kansas City its first Super Bowl victory in 50 years last year when the Chiefs went on to defeat the San Francisco 49ers 31-20 in a shocking comeback.
Can you bear a little bit of suspense?
Well, once again, history repeated itself! February 7th this year, in Tampa Bay, in Mahomes’ third year as a starter for Kansas City, the Chiefs’ run to repeat as NFL champions was over.
Wilson could not win either his second-straight crown either when the Patriots intercepted a goal-line pass in the final seconds of Super Bowl XLIX, Tom Brady has been the judge, jury, and executioner in both cases.
Well, of course, “running it back” is very difficult, and no team has done it since the New England Patriots did it back in 2003 and 2004.
As Seahawks coach Pete Carroll explained to ESPN: “You think, ‘[We] won one year; why wouldn’t you win the next year, too?’” Carroll said. “It’s almost easier to get there and win it than it is to come back and do it the second time around. It’s because of the shift that takes place once you win, and all that goes on through those months of the offseason and the buildup and then the anticipation going through the start of the year, all of the stories and the storylines and the scenarios and all of that, and the mentality of the players and what they’ve just accomplished.”
And for now, the Chiefs will not experience two Super Bowls in a row… at least not yet.
Wilson has yet to appear in another Super Bowl since his infamous loss against the Patriots, and the clock is ticking for him. The 32-year-old quarterback has expressed his frustration to his team which is trying to reinforce the offensive line around him to protect him better next season and be a contender for Super Bowl LIV. He is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL.
However, Patrick Mahomes is only 25 years old, under contract for another 10 years with the Kansas City Chiefs, and the offensive threats are under contract, so there will be plenty of opportunities to go back to the Super Bowl and win it once again. The years ahead are bright for the Chiefs and nobody should worry about the future.
