Morning Sports Update
“He still has a long way to go.”
Tedy Bruschi’s view of the Tom Brady-Patrick Mahomes comparisons: Tom Brady was not only present for Super Bowl LIX as the commentator for the Fox broadcast, he was also the subject of one of the more intriguing talking points from the game: How does his legacy compare with that of Patrick Mahomes?
Had Mahomes and the Chiefs won the game, it would’ve elevated Kansas City to a place even Brady and the Patriots never reached: A Super Bowl three-peat. Of course, the Eagles had something to say about it on Sunday night, clobbering the two-time defending champions in a 40-22 Philadelphia win.
Reflecting on not only Mahomes’ legacy in comparison to Brady but also the disappointment the Chiefs are feeling in light of such a prominent loss on the precipice of NFL immortality, Bruschi offered some discerning thoughts during a Monday morning appearance on ESPN’s SportsCenter.
He compared the Chiefs losing on the verge of an unprecedented third Super Bowl win in a row to the Patriots’ ill-fated attempted at a perfect season in 2007-2008. New England ran the table, going 18-0 through the regular season and playoffs before falling 17-14 in the Super Bowl to the underdog Giants.
“It’s something that I still think about all the time, how we failed in [2008], when we lost to a great New York Giant team in Super Bowl XLII,” Bruschi admitted.
“This is something they will remember forever, and it just hurts so much more the way they lost,” he added. “There was never any doubt.”
To Bruschi’s point, the Chiefs trailed 24-0 at halftime, with Mahomes unable to get the Kansas City offense going with any consistency.
Bruschi eschewed from the absolutist take of “Brady vs. Mahomes,” noting that while the younger Chiefs QB still has several Super Bowl wins to go before reeling in Brady’s record, he’s still an elite player who the former Patriots linebacker respects.
“He still has a long way to go,” Bruschi said of Mahomes chasing Brady. “I think Patrick Mahomes is great. He’s one of the all-time greats, if you will, in terms of winning Super Bowls.
“You’re talking about a guy that won six with one team, went to another team and won a seventh,” he continued. “I mean Patrick is not even 30 years old yet, so I’m not going to start the comparisons because he probably has another decade.”
And as someone who knows the difficult of maintaining a dynasty in the NFL, Bruschi identified the real challenge for the Chiefs going forward: Reloading the roster around Mahomes with more talent to keep the team at a championship level.
“What the Chiefs do from here in terms of fixing left tackle, right tackle, cornerback, the things they have to do to be competitive in this game against a team like the world champion Philadelphia Eagles, we’ll see if that’s done in the offseason,” he explained. “But this isn’t about Patrick Mahomes. This is about the Chiefs regaining their championship form, and there’s a lot to be done.”
Scores and schedules:
On Sunday, the Eagles defeated the Chiefs 40-22 to win Super Bowl LIX.
Tonight, the men’s Beanpot final will be decided at TD Garden. The third-place game between Northeastern vs. Harvard gets underway at 4:30 p.m., while the final Boston University v. Boston College begins at 7:30 p.m.
Also tonight, the Celtics play the Heat in Miami at 7:30 p.m.
More from Boston.com:
Brady to Gronk: Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski showed that they can still complete a pass, even across New Orleans balconies.
Touchdown pass from one balcony to the other 🎯@TomBrady and @RobGronkowski make it too easy. pic.twitter.com/7h5EfCW2mc
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) February 9, 2025
Team USA’s win: If you missed it, Breezy Johnson won the women’s downhill portion of the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships over the weekend skiing with bib No. 1. She negotiated a harrowing descent down the course at Saalbach in Austria.
On this day: In 2002, the Revolution picked two future club legends in the same MLS SuperDraft. Taylor Twellman, the club’s first-round pick, would lead the league in scoring twice and win the 2005 league MVP award. In the second round, New England picked midfielder Shalrie Joseph, who went on to make four MLS Best XI teams as the heartbeat of the Revolution midfield for a decade.
Daily highlight: Eagles defensive back Cooper DeJean contributed one of the decisive plays in Super Bowl LIX, intercepting Patrick Mahomes and running it back for a touchdown.
COOPER DEJEAN PICK TO THE HOUSE!
📺: #SBLIX on FOX
📱: Tubi + NFL app pic.twitter.com/y4Q4bGTHE2— NFL (@NFL) February 10, 2025
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