Patrick Mahomes will take the field for the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday for the first time as a father of three.
Mahomes and his wife Brittany welcomed their new daughter, Golden Raye, on January 12. The quarterback was fortunate to have gotten a week off for the weekend of Golden Raye’s arrival, but he returned to practice a few days later.
He is now set to face the Houston Texans in the divisional round playoff game. He endures the historic pressure of trying to lead his team to a third straight Super Bowl – something no team has ever done – as well as the personal pressure of being the father of another newborn daughter.
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Patrick Mahomes and his wife Brittany leave the field after his Super Bowl victory in February. (Matt Slocum)
As the only active quarterback with a realistic shot to go up against Tom Brady in the all-time legacy discussions, Mahomes faces a much higher stakes task than Brady did when he took the field in as a first-time father of three.
Brady welcomed his third child, daughter Vivian Lake, on December 5, 2012 – weeks before any decisive playoff action.
But the stakes remained quite high. And like Mahomes, Brady’s first game after having his third child also came against the Houston Texans.
Brady and the New England Patriots welcomed a Texas team that led the AFC at the time with an 11-1 record to Gilette Stadium for a Monday Night Football showdown. Brady had the Patriots with a 9-3 record, as they looked to chase down Houston for first place.
And Brady didn’t miss a beat.
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New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady warms up. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File)
The former Patriots quarterback had a breakout game, throwing for 296 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions, as New England dominated 42-14. Brady even had six rushing yards on one carry, which was a good rushing night for him by his standards at the time.
After the game, Brady considered the victory the perfect end to the week, informing reporters that his then-wife, Giselle Bundchen, was doing well after giving birth.
Patrick Mahomes’ wife, Brittany Mahomes, celebrates after defeating the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 in overtime in Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium on February 11, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Harry Comment/Getty Images)
“She’s doing great,” Brady told Bundchen reporters after the game. “It’s been a great week, a great way to end it.”
Mahomes has a high bar to meet. But if he pulls off a performance similar to what Brady put up in 2012, his performance could be even more amplified in how he’s recognized.
With a victory in the divisional round, Mahomes and the Chiefs will be just two wins away from capturing their unprecedented third straight Super Bowl title. The spotlight will shine even brighter on Mahomes and his wife Saturday than it did on Brady in 2012, as Taylor Swift is expected to attend, perhaps alongside Brittany.
And like Brady’s game in 2012, Saturday could be the last time Mahomes plays football right after having a child.
“I feel good with three kids at the moment,” he told reporters Tuesday when asked if he would have another child. “Maybe we’ll see later, but my goal was always three, so we got three, and we’re going to sit there for a while and see if we need to come back and get another one later.”
