How did Patrick Mahomes' Chiefs lose to Tom Brady's Bucs? Revisiting Super Bowl 2021

Patrick Mahomes is quickly climbing the ranks of the greatest quarterbacks of all-time as he prepares to play in his fifth Super Bowl this year. He has already won three rings in four appearances and if he wins it again this season, he would be tied for the second-most by any quarterback ever.

The legend he is still chasing is of course Tom Brady, who won seven Super Bowl rings in 10 appearances, which are both NFL records by a wide margin. His first six were with the New England Patriots and his final one came with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He also won it in a head-to-head matchup against Mahomes' Kansas City Chiefs.

Super Bowl LV may one day go down as a matchup between the two greatest quarterbacks in NFL history, and in fact, some probably already feel that way.

Mahomes entered the contest having won a ring in the season before against the San Francisco 49ers, so he was seeking to become a back-to-back champion. Brady and the Bucs didn't allow that to happen.

While Brady was his usual elite self in the game, including throwing for 203 yards and three touchdowns, Mahomes uncharacteristically struggled. He failed to throw a touchdown pass in the game and also threw two interceptions as he was under pressure from the Buccaneers' pass rush all game long.

Defensive coordinator Todd Bowles devised a master plan of attacking the superstar quarterback, consistently pressuring him, forcing him out of the pocket, creating scrambles and sacking him three times. The Chiefs were only able to come up with nine points because of this as the Buccaneers dominated to a 31-9 victory and Brady's seventh ring.

An interesting storyline that will potentially emerge from this game is when the time comes to compare the legacies of Brady and Mahomes' careers.

Even if Patrick Mahomes eventually passes Tom Brady for the most Super Bowl rings in NFL history, he will always have to contend with the fact that he lost to him when the two faced off in the big game.

Patrick Mahomes' career record vs Tom Brady

Patrick Mahomes vs Tom Brady

Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady have faced off six times during their careers and split those games. Mahomes has a solid 3-1 record during their regular-season meetings, but Brady holds an important 2-0 advantage when the two have met in the NFL Playoffs.

In addition to beating the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tom Brady also defeated them in postseason two years prior. This time it was in the AFC Championship game before he departed the New England Patriots with his sixth ring for the franchise.