We witnessed a historic efficiency on Sunday because the Kansas City Chiefs delivered a near-perfect second half to beat a 10-point halftime deficit and beat the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35 in Super Bowl LVII. All championships have important impacts on legacies, however maybe none extra so than this sport with Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Andy Reid all bolstering their trophy instances, whereas bolstering their instances for being among the many greatest the NFL has ever seen.
We can toss out the Hall of Fame instances for this trio, as they’ve all cemented themselves among the many high 10 to ever do it at their respective positions. The Chiefs’ championship parade rolls via downtown Kansas City on Wednesday, the proper time for us to have fun three of the most effective to ever do it.
You is perhaps questioning (or debating) after Sunday’s sport the place the Chiefs’ huge trio stacks up among the many sport’s legends. Don’t fear, we have got you coated. Our NFL workers voted on the highest quarterbacks, tight ends and head coaches of all time to succeed in a consensus on the place Mahomes, Kelce and Reid now stand by way of soccer immortality. We voted on the place these three stand proper now. Not what their trajectory is, but when they retire tomorrow, the place do they stand? (The voters: Doug Clawson, Garrett Podell, Brett Anderson, Bryan DeArdo, Kevin Steimle, Jared Dubin, Zach Pereles, Jordan Dajani and Kyle Stackpole)
Without additional ado:
Top 10 Quarterbacks of all time
1. Tom Brady (unanimous)
2. Peyton Manning
3. Joe Montana
4. Patrick Mahomes
5. Aaron Rodgers
6. Dan Marino
7. Johnny Unitas
8. John Elway
9. Drew Brees
10. Brett Favre
Mahomes vote breakdown: No. 2 (1), No. 3 (2), No. 5 (2), No. 6 (3), No. 11 (1)
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According to our group of voters, Mahomes is now on the Mount Rushmore of the best quarterbacks in NFL historical past. He was voted as excessive as second and as little as eleventh, and the consensus has him because the fourth-greatest quarterback of all-time between Joe Montana and Aaron Rodgers. No shock on the high, Tom Brady is the consensus GOAT, getting all 9 first-place votes.
Case Mahomes must be larger
Mahomes has performed one thing that no different participant within the historical past of the NFL has performed. Not even Brady, Manning or Montana — the three QBs forward of him on this listing. He has gained two league MVPs and two Super Bowl MVPs in a five-season span. Now, there isn’t any method Mahomes has surpassed Brady because the GOAT, however you could possibly argue his playoff resume is already extra spectacular than Manning’s (14-13 playoff file, two Super Bowls, one Super Bowl MVP) and his regular-season credentials are catching as much as Montana’s, who is essentially third right here because of an ideal 4-0 file within the Super Bowl. Mahomes could make performs that no QB within the high three could make, and has a powerful case for being essentially the most proficient quarterback of all time. If he is not larger than fourth proper now, he most likely can be in a couple of years, and his present monitor has him threatening Brady because the GOAT sometime.
Case Mahomes must be decrease
He’s solely been a full-time starter for 5 years, so is he actually already a top-five quarterback? Aaron Rodgers may need one thing to say about that. Yes, Mahomes already has extra rings and the identical variety of convention championship journeys as Rodgers does, however Rodgers additionally has 4 league MVPs, together with back-to-back at ages 37 and 38. He belongs within the “most proficient QB ever” dialogue and has been doing it for for much longer than Mahomes, as his 475 profession landing passes counsel (Mahomes has 192). Johnny Unitas would additionally like a phrase. He has another league MVP and championship (three of every) than Mahomes, was the NFL’s all-time chief in landing passes and yards when he retired, and virtually invented the two-minute drill along with his clutch play within the 1958 NFL Championship Game referred to as “the best sport ever performed.”
Top 5 Tight Ends of all time
1. Tony Gonzalez
2. Rob Gronkowski
3. Travis Kelce
4. Shannon Sharpe
5. Antonio Gates
Kelce vote breakdown: No. 2 (3), No. 3 (5), No. 4 (1)
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Kelce is the third-best tight finish ever, in accordance with our panel, behind Tony Gonzalez and Rob Gronkowski. None of our 9 voters had Kelce as the best tight finish ever, however all 9 votes had him within the high 4.
Case Kelce must be larger
It’s a tricky promote that Kelce must be No. 1 right here, Tony Gonzalez has each the prime and longevity that surpasses Kelce. Gonzalez led all tight ends in receiving yards in a season, seven instances, to Kelce’s 4. He has the sixth-most receiving yards (15,127) in NFL historical past (no matter place). Kelce is not displaying any indicators of slowing down at age 33, so he might surpass Tony G at some point, however his greatest case could also be forward of Rob Gronkowski at No. 2. Kelce already has extra profession receiving yards than Gronk, and solely Jerry Rice has extra catches, receiving yards and landing grabs than Kelce in a playoff profession. Kelce is the one tight finish to guide a Super Bowl-winning workforce in receiving yards twice (he led the Chiefs in 2019 and 2022) and has had a ridiculous stretch of playoff video games over the previous couple of postseasons.
Kelce has the identical variety of 1,000-yard seasons in his 30s as Gronk had in his profession (4). The purpose he would not surpass Gronk in some folks’s minds is because of Gronk’s sheer all-around dominance. He has the identical variety of first-team All-Pro alternatives as Kelce (4), has led all tight ends in receiving yards as many instances as Kelce (4 seasons), and is without doubt one of the greatest purple zone threats in league historical past. When Gronk initially retired after the 2018 season, he had the third-most landing catches of any participant earlier than turning 30 in NFL historical past past solely Randy Moss and Jerry Rice. He has 23 extra profession touchdowns than Kelce and is broadly thought-about a greater blocker. He additionally has extra rings than Kelce. Injuries slowed Gronk down, one purpose Kelce will seemingly surpass him within the coming years.
Case Kelce must be decrease
Kelce’s profession numbers are practically similar to Shannon Sharpe’s by way of Pro Bowl alternatives (each eight), first-team All-Pro alternatives (each 4), receiving yards (each over 10K) and landing catches (Kelce 69 vs. Sharpe 62). Sharpe final performed 20 years in the past when the NFL was hardly a passing league. He additionally gained two championships with the Broncos and one with the Ravens, so a case might be made that he belongs forward of Kelce. I’ll go away the remainder of the controversy as much as ‘Undisputed’ although.
Top 10 head coaches of all time
1. Bill Belichick (unanimous)
2. Vince Lombardi
3. Don Shula
4. Bill Walsh
5. Chuck Noll
6. George Halas
7. Andy Reid
8. Tom Landry
9. Paul Brown
10. Joe Gibbs
Reid vote breakdown: No. 3 (1), No. 6 (3), No. 8 (2), No. 10 (3)
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Reid is the seventh-best head coach in NFL historical past, per our panel of 9 voters. He was within the high 10 for each voter, and at the same time as excessive as third. Like Brady at quarterback, Belichick was the unanimous No. 1, garnering all 9 first-place votes.
Case Reid must be larger
He’s had a decade of dominance with two completely different franchises, proving even this run with one of many best QBs of all time (Mahomes) is not any fluke, and Reid deserves his share of the credit score. He made 4 straight NFC title video games with the Eagles and has now made 5 straight AFC title video games with the Chiefs, together with two Super Bowl wins. He has the fifth-most regular-season wins in NFL historical past (247) and is taken into account one of many best offensive minds the league has ever seen (as Super Bowl LVII as soon as once more proved). He additionally has a really profitable teaching tree (in contrast to Belichick) that options John Harbaugh, Doug Pederson, Sean McDermott and Ron Rivera, amongst others. He might be larger than George Halas, who we ranked sixth. Halas gained 318 video games and 6 titles, however final coached in 1955 when there have been 12 groups within the NFL. Reid additionally has 54 extra regular-season wins than longtime Steelers coach Chuck Noll, who’s fifth right here.
Case Reid must be decrease
Reid has zero Super Bowls and a dropping playoff file (11-12) with out Patrick Mahomes. However, by this logic, how is Bill Belichick the best coach ever? If there’s any purpose Reid is decrease, it has extra to do with the coaches he’s ranked forward of. Joe Gibbs gained three Super Bowls with Washington within the 80s, Tom Landry coached the Cowboys dynasty within the 70s and Bill Parcells coached two Super Bowl champions and has maybe the most effective teaching tree of all time.
There you have got it. Mahomes, Kelce and Reid are all firmly within the high 10 of all time and all borderline high 5, or firmly on a Mount Rushmore. That’s an enormous distinction from the place they had been getting into the postseason, when Mahomes and Reid might not have been within the high 10 but. It additionally got here with the thinnest of margins. The Chiefs gained the AFC Championship Game and Super Bowl on Harrison Butker area targets within the remaining 10 seconds following controversial (however appropriate) penalties. Add all of it up, and it was a really impactful and entertaining postseason run by the Chiefs and firm. Now it is time so that you can have your debates.
