Star Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs) against the little-known Brock Purdy (49ers). Whether in terms of prize list or career trajectory, everything opposes the two quarterbacks who face each other during the Super Bowl on Sunday in Las Vegas.
.2 Super Bowl vs 25 matches
At 28 years old, Patrick Mahomes is already considered one of the best quarterbacks in the history of American football, after winning the Super Bowl twice with the Kansas City Chiefs (2019 and 2022) and being voted best player in the year in the NFL twice (2018 and 2022).
Brock Purdy (24), meanwhile, has only played 25 games in his professional career, after becoming a starter almost on the sly with the San Francisco 49ers.
.10e vs 262e
Patrick Mahomes was selected as the 10th pick in the first round of the NFL draft in 2017. The quarterback from Texas Tech University, son of a former pro baseball player, had shown a lot of promise at the university level, particularly for his ability to improvise. But few predicted such an illustrious career among the pros. He will also spend his first season on the bench, behind Alex Smith, former QB of the 49ers, before establishing himself as a starter.
If Patrick Mahomes arrived in the NFL with measured expectations from fans and outside observers, it is nothing compared to Brock Purdy, taken in 262nd position out of 262! Upon leaving Iowa State University, Purdy received the title given each year to the last choice in the draft: “Mr. Irrelevant”, or “Mr. Superflu” in French.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes speaks during the Super Bowl LVIII presentation party at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on February 5, 2024 / Patrick T. Fallon / AFP
But with the successive injuries to the two quarterbacks ahead of him in the hierarchy, he becomes a starter towards the end of the 2022 season, his first in the NFL. Many then imagine that San Francisco’s season is over. But Purdy won his first seven games in his new role, including two in the play-offs.
The fairy tale ends, however, in the conference final, against the Philadelphia Eagles. Injured in the elbow and without another quarterback on the bench, Brock Purdy is forced to manage the game as best he can, without really being able to throw the ball and the Niners will lose the game.
Named starter for the 2023 season, he followed up his exploits of the previous season by throwing for nearly 4,300 yards, 31 touchdowns, and only 11 interceptions.
“The Reaper” vs “The Silent Assassin”
In January 2022, during a play-off game against the Buffalo Bills, Patrick Mahomes received some very specific advice from his head coach Andy Reid: “When the picture is dark, become the Grim Reaper”.
The quarterback then led his team to a touchdown synonymous with victory, and the new nickname illustrated Mahomes’ ability to show up in big moments to defeat his opponents.
Another nickname sometimes given to this prodigy: “Magic”. Because Patrick Mahomes has an astonishing ability to avoid tackles for loss (“sacks”), often by twirling or contorting himself, as if his performance was in reality only a magic trick played on his opponents, for the happiness of Chiefs fans.
Brock Purdy also has a somewhat morbid nickname, bestowed by former NFL player and now analyst Brian Baldinger: “the Silent Assassin.” Baldinger explains that he chose this nickname because of the player’s ability to remain “relaxed” and “confident” in difficult situations, until he finds the fault.
Quarterback Brock Purdy of the San Francisco 49ers speaks to the media during the presentation evening of Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas, February 5, 2024 / Patrick T. Fallon / AFP
Brock Purdy is not the most impressive physical phenomenon in the league at his position, and for this reason “he plays in a conventional way” said Thursday in this same program a former quarterback also with an unusual career, Kurt Warner.
But “over the past year and a half, he’s played quarterback as well as anyone,” added the former champion player with the Rams in 2000.
