By Seán Comber

Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers represent a similar type of NFL quarterback. The gunslinger. In American football terms it is described as "a quarterback who plays in an aggressive and decisive manner by throwing deep, risky passes. These quarterbacks usually possess the strong arm needed to throw deep effectively”, according to Wikipedia.

The first of this type of quarterback was Brett Favre. Favre played for the Green Bay Packers between 1992 and 2007. In that span, he won one Super Bowl and three league MVP’s. At first, he was unlike any other that played the game. He would throw on the run often, had an absolute cannon for an arm and would launch the ball down the field. He was a no risk it, no biscuit it type of player. His one issue was, for as amazing he was at times, he tended to throw a lot of interceptions as part of his high stakes gambler style of play.

In 2005, the Green Bay Packers drafted Aaron Rodgers 24th overall. Originally thought to be the first overall pick, his slide down the draft board lives in infamy. The Packers selected Rodgers with the plan to let him sit behind Favre and when the time was right, move Favre on and insert Rodgers in his place. 

That time came in 2008, when Favre was traded to the Jets. Rodgers came in and showed he was the future. Two years later, the Packers were Super Bowl champions. Rodgers then added league MVP’s to his résumé in 2011 and 2014. Most teams move on from a franchise quarterback and then spend years looking for the next one. The Packers however had seamlessly transitioned from one sure-fire hall of fame quarterback to another, something that had only been done once before, when the 49ers moved from Joe Montana to Steve Young in 1993, which wasn’t a smooth transition. But the Packers didn’t just move from one hall of fame quarterback to another; they moved from the original gunslinger to an even more refined one.

Rodgers’ play is similar to his mentor Favre. His best moments come when he’s throwing on the run. He has an absolute rifle for an arm. But the way he throws the ball is better than Favre. The flight of the ball oozes class. He also doesn’t throw nearly as many interceptions as Favre. As I said, he’s even more refined than his mentor. He’s like Favre if Favre had removed all of the roughness of his game, which there could be a lot of. For years, in my opinion, when you took everything into consideration, he was the best quarterback in the NFL. Then, Mahomes came along.

Mahomes was drafted tenth overall by the Chiefs in 2017. They traded up to get him. Like Rodgers, Mahomes had to sit behind a veteran. However, he sat behind Alex Smith, who while being very good, is not a future hall of famer. Also, Mahomes only sat for a season.

When Mahomes entered the limelight, he was lights out. In his first season as a starter, he was the league MVP. He threw for 50 touchdowns and 5,000 passing yards, only the second player to ever do so. He became one of seven quarterbacks to accumulate 5,000 yards in a season. Like Rodgers, his best plays are on the run, he has a rifle for an arm and he doesn’t throw many picks. He led the Chiefs to becoming the number one seed in the AFC, and in the championship game, the Chiefs were a play away from beating the Patriots and heading to the Super Bowl. For all the heartbreak, the future in Kansas City was clearly bright. The following season, while not putting up the numbers he did in his MVP year, he was still very good. In the playoffs, they went one better, winning the AFC championship and heading to the Super Bowl. In the Super Bowl, they were down ten points in the last quarter. Mahomes was playing bad. Then, he turned it on, erased the deficit almost effortlessly and won Super Bowl MVP. No player has ever had the accolades Mahomes already has this early in their career and he isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. It’s now his third year as a starter and he looks set to lead the Chiefs to the number one seed and win MVP, while likely heading to the Super Bowl again. But, who can possibly edge MVP ahead of him and what team is he likely to face in Tampa in February? The answer to each question is Aaron Rodgers and the Packers.

Back in April, the Packers drafted a quarterback with the 26th overall pick. The headlines were all the same, about how they’ve put a timer on Rodgers’ time in Green Bay. Rodgers responded by putting together one of the best years of his career. At time of writing, there are 3 games to spare and Rodgers has 39 touchdowns, only 4 interceptions and 3,685 passing yards. He’s playing better than he did in 2014. He has every chance of passing his touchdown total from 2011. He’s given the Packers no reason to believe they should move on from him. He’s responded to adversity absolutely perfectly. Normally a quarterback with his numbers at this stage would be a dead cert for MVP. However, Mahomes has 3,497 passing yards, 30 touchdowns and only 2 interceptions. For numerous bookies, Mahomes is odds on to win it. Rodgers is his nearest competitor. 

This seems harsh on Rodgers to me. For as great as Mahomes is, he has an excellent cast around him, consisting of Travis Kelce (the best tight end in the NFL) and the wide receiver trio of Mecole Hardman, Sammy Watkins and Tyreek Hill, all of whom, but particularly Hill, possess scary speed. While Rodgers has an unbelievable wide receiver in Davante Adams and a very good running back duo in Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams, his cast overall isn’t as good as that of Mahomes. Mahomes has a better head coach than Rodgers. Going into the year, the Packers were deemed to have a tougher schedule. The previous draft was historically loaded at wide receiver, where Green Bay needed help to lighten the load on Davante Adams and Green Bay used their first two picks on the supposed successor to Rodgers and a running back, where they were already strong. The Chiefs have helped Mahomes brilliantly and it’s paying dividends and will continue to. The Packers have not helped Rodgers and despite that he’s toe to toe with Mahomes in terms of statistics. While I love Mahomes, for these reasons I believe Rodgers, while he probably won’t, should win MVP.

The MVP award is the most prestigious individual honour a player can win. However, every player wants to win a Super Bowl ring. Both Mahomes and Rodgers are chasing their second. Mahomes after this season will have plenty of chances to win another, no matter what happens this season. Rodgers won’t. Both players are however in great positions to make a run. 

If the season ended right now, the Packers and the Chiefs would both be the number one seed in their respective conferences. Therefore, they’d both be the only teams in each conference with a bye. They would have home field advantage throughout. Packers v Chiefs is clearly the most exciting possible Super Bowl, purely because it would mean Mahomes v Rodgers. 

These two were supposed to play each other in week 8 of last year. Every NFL fan was excited to see how the only likely career meeting of Mahomes and Rodgers would pan out. Unfortunately, the week before, Mahomes sustained a knee injury which kept him out for two weeks. There was a feeling that the opportunity to see two great gunslingers representing different eras had passed (because of how the NFL schedules games, the Packers only play the Chiefs every four years, unless they by chance meet in the Super Bowl). However, a year later, the chance has arisen again. The one chance to watch these two duke it out may come on the sports grandest stage, a fitting scene for this duel. Only one can win MVP. Only one can win this years’ Super Bowl. 2020 has been a lot of things, but in the NFL, it has been the year of the gunslinger, no matter how old or young they may be. 

It is highly unlikely we’ll see an MVP race like this for quite some time. It is highly unlikely a Super Bowl is likely to be contested between the two MVP frontrunners in this fashion for quite some time. If this ends up not being the Super Bowl matchup, it will be a gut wrench.