Tom Brady-Rob Gronkowski vs Patrick Mahomes-Travis Kelce: Comparing star QB-tight end duos
While there is an overarching piece of history they are chasing together, the Kansas City Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce enter Super Bowl 59 on the brink of making individual NFL postseason history.
For Mahomes, who has transformed into one of the greatest to play the quarterback position, Sunday's Super Bowl at Caesars Superdome is his fifth appearance in the Big Game in the last six years. A win would give him his fourth Lombardi Trophy — which would be the most by a starting quarterback before his age 30 season in the NFL.
While for Kelce, who has been one of the more dominant receivers in recent NFL postseason history, the 6-foot-5 tight end enters Super Bowl 59 just two receiving touchdowns away from tying Hall of Famer Jerry Rice for the most postseason receiving touchdowns (22).
A win on Sunday would add fuel to the conversation of if the Chiefs have surpassed the New England Patriots as one of the NFL's greatest dynasties, which Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski helped build in Foxborough before ending their careers together with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It'd also add another layer to the debate on which quarterback-tight end duo is better than the other.
Brady and Gronkowski will be in attendance at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans for the Chiefs game vs. the Philadelphia Eagles, as Brady will be on the main broadcast for Fox and Gronkowski will be part of Fox's pregame show.
Ahead of Super Bowl, here's a comparison between Brady-Gronkowski and Mahomes-Kelce:
Tom Brady-Rob Gronkowski vs Patrick Mahomes-Travis Kelce
Head-to-head record
Gronkowski vs Kelce
- Rob Gronkowski regular season record vs. Travis Kelce: 1-3
- Rob Gronkowski postseason season record vs. Travis Kelce: 3-0
- Rob Gronkowski overall season record vs. Travis Kelce: 4-3
In seven meetings against each other, Gronkowski went 4-3 overall against Kelce. Gronkowski went a perfect 3-0 against Kelce in the postseason, which included a win in Super Bowl 55 when Gronkowski was with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Here's a game-by-game breakdown of Brady and Mahomes' meetings as starters:
- Sept. 29, 2014: Chiefs 41, Patriots 14
- Jan. 16, 2016: Patriots 27, Chiefs 20 (AFC divisional round)
- Sept. 7, 2017: Chiefs 42, Patriots 27
- Oct. 14, 2018: Patriots 43, Chiefs 40
- Jan. 20, 2019: Patriots 37, Chiefs 31 (OT) (AFC championship)
- Nov. 29, 2020: Chiefs 27, Buccaneers 24
- Feb. 7, 2021: Buccaneers 31, Chiefs 9 (Super Bowl 55)
Brady vs Mahomes
- Tom Brady regular season record vs. Patrick Mahomes: 1-3
- Tom Brady postseason record vs. Patrick Mahomes: 2-0
- Tom Brady overall record vs. Patrick Mahomes: 3-3
In six meetings against each other, Brady and Mahomes are 3-3 all-time against each other — with all of Mahomes' wins coming in the regular season. Brady went 2-0 against Mahomes in the postseason, a 37- 31 win in the 2019 AFC championship game and a 31-9 win in Super Bowl 55.
Here's a game-by-game breakdown of Brady and Mahomes' meetings as starters:
- Oct. 14, 2018: Patriots 43, Chiefs 40
- Jan. 20, 2019: Patriots 37, Chiefs 31 (OT) (AFC championship)
- Dec. 8, 2019: Chiefs 23, Patriots 16
- Nov. 29, 2020: Chiefs 27, Buccaneers 24
- Feb. 7, 2021: Buccaneers 31, Chiefs 9 (Super Bowl 55)
- Oct. 2, 2022: Chiefs 41, Buccaneers 31
Head-to-head statistics for Tom Brady-Rob Gronkowski vs Patrick Mahomes-Travis Kelce
Here's how Gronkowski and Kelce have fared against each other in both the regular season and playoffs and how Mahomes and Brady have fared against each other:
Gronkowski vs Kelce
Statistics courtesy of Stathead.com
Regular season (four meetings):
- Rob Gronkowski: 13 receptions for 267 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown
- Travis Kelce: 26 receptions for 276 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown
Playoff season (three meetings):
- Rob Gronkowski: 19 receptions for 229 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns
- Travis Kelce: 19 receptions for 179 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown
Brady vs Mahomes
Statistics courtesy of Stathead.com
Regular season (four meetings):
- Tom Brady: 109 of 164 (66.4%) passing for 1,239 yards with eight touchdowns and three interceptions; six rushes for 21 yards and one rushing touchdown
- Patrick Mahomes: 109 of 162 (67.2%) passing for 1,346 yards with 11 touchdowns and four interceptions; 16 rushes for 77 yards
Postseason (two meetings):
- Tom Brady: 51 of 75 (68%) passing for 549 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions
- Patrick Mahomes: 42 of 80 (52.5%) passing for 565 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions
Playoff record
- Tom Brady-Rob Gronkowski: 21-7
- Patrick Mahomes-Travis Kelce: 17-3
Brady and Gronkowski lead Mahomes and Kelce by four postseason wins in the head-to-head record. However, the Chiefs duo has a better winning percentage (85%) in the postseason than the Patriots-Buccaneers duo (75%).
Super Bowl titles
- Tom Brady-Rob Gronkowski: Four
- Patrick Mahomes-Travis Kelce: Three
Heading into Super Bowl 59, Brady and Gronkowski lead Mahomes and Kelce by one more Super Bowl win. A win on Sunday against the Eagles would tie Mahomes and Kelce with Brady and Gronkowski for Lombardi Trophy victories.
Of Brady and Gronkowski's four Super Bowl titles together, three of them came when the two played in Foxborough for the Patriots. The two won their first Super Bowl together in Super Bowl 49 when the Patriots scored 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter against the Seattle Seahawks.
It took until Super Bowl 54 in 2020 against the San Francisco 49ers for Mahomes and Kelce to win their first Lombardi Trophy — which happened to be their first go around together in the Big Game. Since then, the two have added Super Bowl wins in each of the last two seasons in Super Bowl 57 (against the Eagles) and Super Bowl 58 (against the 49ers).
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