When the Kansas City Chiefs take the field for Super Bowl LVIII against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, it will make their fourth Super Bowl appearance in five seasons.
With Patrick Mahomes at the helm, the reigning Super Bowl champion Chiefs are seeking to become the first team to win back-to-back championships since the New England Patriots won Super Bowl XXXVIII and Super Bowl XXXIX in 2003-04.
In Monday's Super Bowl LVIII Opening Night, Mahomes was asked about possibly surpassing future Hall of Famer Tom Brady in Super Bowl wins and his legacy in comparison to Brady.
"I mean, I'm not even close to halfway, so I haven't put a lot of thought into it," Mahomes told the media. "I mean, your goal is to be the best player that you can be. I know I'm blessed to be around a lot of great players around me. And so, right now, it's doing whatever I can to beat a great 49ers team and try to get that third ring. And then if you ask me that question in 15 years, and I'll see if I can get close to seven. But seven seems like a long ways away still."
Mahomes is a two-time Super Bowl and league MVP who has played in three Super Bowls, winning two and losing one. He is set to face the 49ers again after beating San Francisco in Super Bowl LIV. In Super Bowl LVII, Kansas City defeated the Philadelphia Eagles. His only loss in the big game came against Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl LV.
The only starting QBs in NFL history with more Super Bowl appearances than Mahomes are Brady (10) and John Elway (5), per NFL Research.
At 28, Mahomes will be the youngest QB to start four Super Bowls. In his seventh season, Mahomes hopes to play football for as long as he can just like Brady.
"That's the goal, you want to play as long as they'll let you play," Mahomes said. "It takes a lot of work outside of the building. It takes taking care of your body, it takes eating healthy and try to get rid of the dad bod that I got. But try to do whatever you can just to get healthy and go out there and be the best player that you can be.
"My hope is to take it year in and year out, but I want to play as long as they'll let me play. Fifteen years seems like long, but Brady did it and some other guys have done it so, I'm going to strive to see if I can do it as well."
Mahomes is inspired to win his third Super Bowl in the final game of the 2023 season at Allegiant Stadium, but he's inspired just as much not to lose another.
"I've lost the Super Bowl and I know how bad that hurts, and you want to make sure you stay away from that feeling," Mahomes said. "So, I think even more than hoisting that trophy is when you lose and you're in that locker room and you feel like you're that close and you didn't get it that feeling is -- I'm almost more addicted to staying away from that feeling than I am hoisting the trophy."
