Patrick Mahomes jokes he's hyped to play against 43-year-old Tom Brady in his '150th' Super Bowl
- Kansas City Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes joked that he's excited to play Tom Brady in the veteran quarterback's "150th" Super Bowl.
- Brady steered the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the NFL championship game with a victory over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.
- Super Bowl 55 will actually be Brady's 10th, a record among players.
Tom Brady steered the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the team's second-ever Super Bowl Sunday, and in doing so, took himself to a 10th NFL Championship game - a league record.
Brady's Buccaneers will face off against the Kansas City Chiefs in two weeks, and Brady's incredible longevity was not lost on his opposite number, Patrick Mahomes.
Speaking after the Chiefs AFC Championship victory over the Buffalo Bills, Mahomes spoke of his excitement to take Brady on in what he joked was the 43-year-old quarterback's "15oth" Super Bowl.
"Being able to go up against one of the greatest, if not the greatest quarterback of all time in his 150th Super Bowl, it's going to be a great experience for me," he told reporters with a smile, joking both about Brady's advanced age, and his incredible record of reaching Super Bowls.
"To go out there and have a chance to repeat, and get to do it against the best, it's something special, and I'm excited for the opportunity."
"A Super Bowl's a Super Bowl," Mahomes added when asked his feelings about playing a Super Bowl in the middle of a pandemic and in front of a limited number of fans.
Mahomes and the Chiefs will be appearing in their second consecutive Super Bowl, having last season beaten the San Francisco 49ers by 31-20 in Florida. Mahomes was the Super Bowl MVP on that day, throwing for two touchdowns and rushing for a third in an incredible come from behind victory.
For his part, Brady takes the Bucs to a first Super Bowl since 2002 in his first season with the team after leaving behind his two-decade, dynasty-building stay with the New England Patriots, in which he won six Super Bowls, and played in nine.
The Buccaneers progressed to the Super Bowl comes after a thrilling NFC Championship game, in which the Packers seemingly threw away the chance for victory by kicking a field goal when trailing by five with just two minutes remaining.
Head coach Matt LaFleur's decision to go for goal has been widely panned, with Insider's Tyler Lauletta calling it "baffling," and "the worst coaching decision of the year."
Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers even seemed to publicly question the decision after the game, distancing himself from LaFleur's play call.
"It wasn't my decision," Rodgers told reporters. "I understand the thinking - above two minutes, with all of our timeouts. But it wasn't my decision."
- Read more:
The Packers missed their shot at Super Bowl thanks to the worst coaching decision of the year
'WE'RE GOING HOME!': Tom Brady celebrates as Buccaneers become the first team in NFL history to host a Super Bowl in their home stadium