Patrick Mahomes and the Post-Brady Era: A New Stage in the NFL

1999 was the last season that Tom Brady’s name did not appear on any of the 32 NFL rosters. Until this year. After 23 fruitful seasons in the elite of American football, the greatest player of all time brought the curtain down on his legendary career last February. And, with this, the league enters a new stage as of today, a kind of succession war in the ‘post-Brady era’, which will be inaugurated, precisely, by the quarterback called to be the heir to the seven-time champion and benchmark in the new cycle: Patrick Mahomes. The Kansas City Chiefs, defenders of the ring won in the Super Bowl, open this morning (02:20, Movistar+ and DAZN) against the Detroit Lions an NFL season full of emotion, unknowns, high expectations… In short, a season of pure American football.

As if it were scripted for a Hollywood blockbuster, last year it had an even romantic outcome: Brady said enough after two decades of tyranny so that, immediately afterwards, Mahomes put the second ring of his career on his finger at the age of 27 and left. win the heir sign by hand. No one in the new generation has penetrated as much as that of the Chiefs, a diamond in the rough for the NFL both on the field and off it. For this reason, with King Brady overthrown, the 2023 season is presented as an all against Mahomes and his Chiefs, who are once again in all the pools for the title.

Because, how could it be otherwise, the Kansas City Chiefs are one of the main contenders for the Super Bowl. During the summer they have managed to maintain almost the entire block that has taken them to the top during the last five years, and the squad that lifted the Vince Lombardi trophy seven months ago has hardly undergone minimal tweaks. Mahomes will continue to be accompanied by his faithful squire, Travis Kelce, unquestionably the best ‘tight end’ in the league, in which he is the deadliest duo in the entire league. But the list of candidates to make them move the dust is tremendously wide in one of the most open seasons ever.

Mahomes, with the Vince Lombardi Trophy.TIMOTHY A. CLARYAFP

With a lot of hunger, and above all with a thirst for revenge, the Philadelphia Eagles arrive. Nick Sirianni’s project was confirmed last year as one of the most powerful in the entire NFL, with quarterback Jalen Hurts handling the baton like a charm, but they fell one step away from the title. They have suffered losses in defense, but it is still guaranteed, even more knowing that they have an overwhelming attack. A similar block presents the San Francisco 49ers, who have solved one of the soap operas of the summer at the last minute: they showed the door to Trey Lance, a great bet for the future of those from the Bay, and decided that their starting quarterback will be Brock Purdy, the young man chosen in the last position of the 2022 Draft who marveled the previous campaign. The addition of Christian McCaffrey gave their attack a new dimension, and their defense will continue to be their opponents’ worst nightmare.

As in previous years, franchises such as the Buffalo Bills or Cincinnati Bengals will continue in the pools for the Super Bowl, teams that have been close in the past but have not been able to finish off. Others like the New York Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers, Los Angeles Chargers, Miami Dolphins, Baltimore Ravens or Dallas Cowboys are called to take a step forward. Something that, surely, the New York Jets will do thanks to a man: Aaron Rodgers. The 39-year-old veteran quarterback was one of the names of the preseason (probably along with Lamar Jackson, who finally renewed with the Ravens) and, after 18 seasons and a ring with the Green Bay Packers, he joined the ambitious project of the Big Apple. Surrounded by a host of young talent, the four-time NFL MVP is facing one of the last attempts of his career to conquer another ring. And you can’t rule out growing teams like the Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars or Seattle Seahawks either.

Ahead, 18 weeks of the regular season (each team plays 17 games and rests once) plus the playoffs to clear up the big question: whether Mahomes and his Chiefs will be able to establish a Brady-Patriots-style dictatorship. The heir has plenty of capabilities to pull it off, and now the entire league has its sights set on him. He is the man, and the team, to beat in this new era of the NFL. A stage without Tom Brady, but with a litter of talent that has rarely been seen. Start a war of succession.

2023-09-06 23:22:09
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