Is Allen vs. Mahomes the next Manning vs. Brady? Stephen A. Smith says it could be.
The Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs put on a show for the ages in the divisional round on Sunday, with the Chiefs winning 42-36 in overtime. The quarterbacks were the story. Bills QB Josh Allen passed for 329 yards and four touchdowns. Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes passed for 378 yards and three touchdowns. The duo combined for three touchdown passes and 221 passing yards in the last two minutes of regulation, which featured three lead changes and a tie.
NFL: Tom Brady traded jabs with Peyton and Eli on Manningcast. It was must-see TV.
Was the matchup the start of a rivalry the likes of Peyton Manning and Tom Brady? First Take's Stephen A. Smith thinks it's a possibility.
Is Allen-Mahomes the next Manning-Brady? 😲@stephenasmith could see it. pic.twitter.com/am9K4zznbQ
— First Take (@FirstTake) January 21, 2022
"The reason I tell you the Manning-Brady comparisons, as it pertains to Patrick Mahomes, are palatable and something we can stomach, is that there's an argument those are the two better teams. We all know what Patrick Mahomes is and what the Kansas City Chiefs are ... If Josh Allen were to be able to pull this off this weekend, it elevates Buffalo. When we looked at Peyton Manning, when he was going to the Super Boel and losing to New Orleans, or going to a Super Bowl and winning against the Bears, we knew Tom Brady was relevant."
He said that while the last generation had Manning, Brady, Ben Roethlisberger and Phil Rivers, this generation has Allen, Mahomes, Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert and others.
"If you've got two elite quarterbacks and their teams are better than the other two quarterback's teams, that's what could make for a rivalry comparable to Manning-Brady."
The crux of Smith's argument is this: Manning and Brady were quarterbacks for two of the league's elite teams when the Colts and Patriots rivalry was at its height. The Chiefs have already achieved that elite status, with a pair of AFC titles and a Super Bowl championship. If Allen can take the Bills to a Super Bowl, Smith thinks the rivalry takes on a new level.
Smith wasn't the only one saying Allen and Mahomes have reached Manning-Brady level of must-see TV.
Mahomes-Allen is officially the new Brady-Manning. I don’t need to see anything else
— Mike Golic Jr (@mikegolicjr) January 24, 2022
Alright I’m just gonna say it.
The Mahomes/Allen/Herbert/Burrow/Lamar era is gonna be way better than the Brady/Manning/Ben/Rivers era in the AFC.
The fun factor just isn’t even comparable.— Brett Kollmann (@BrettKollmann) January 24, 2022
My generation got Brady vs Manning…this new generation getting Mahomes vs Josh Allen!!
— Prince Amukamara (@PrinceAmukamara) January 24, 2022
Allen vs. Mahomes became the new Manning vs. Brady tonight. And I'm here for it.
— George Bremer (@gmbremer) January 24, 2022
This generation’s Brady vs. Manning battle https://t.co/Vuw6v5BG7R
— Mike Marza (@mikemarzaABC7) January 24, 2022
Mahomes vs Allen is the new Brady vs Manning… nothing but respect between those two pic.twitter.com/lcPsLOx9jZ
— RC Maxfield (@RCMB323) January 24, 2022
Follow IndyStar trending sports reporter Matthew VanTryon on Twitter @MVanTryon and email him story ideas at matthew.vantryon@indystar.com.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Is Josh Allen-Patrick Mahomes next Peyton Manning-Tom Brady rivalry?
