Patrick Mahomes and the NFL’s next great quarterback rivalry
By Jacob Harris
Sam Darnold
Sam Darnold is stuck with the New York Jets, which feels like a death sentence for a young QB. But he has the tools to be very good, and a division that might be wide open in a couple years. Once Brady retires, the Patriots will almost undoubtedly take at a few steps back, if not a few leaps. The rest of the East has ostensibly been biding time for two decades, and their chance to, well, have a chance is soon approaching. So chalk Darnold up as a darkhorse, even though there’s absolutely nothing sexy about Darnold vs. Mahomes.
Carson Wentz
This one feels like a perfect fit—similar make-something-out-of-nothing styles, Doug Pederson is an Andy Reid protégé, and he’s coaching Reid’s old team. But the NFC is too crowded for a team not named the Rams to be consistently dominating the conference, so Wentz will likely only meet Mahomes once every four years.
The Eagles had a magic run in 2017, but feels like it might prove to also be their only run. They’re going to keep playing good football and making the playoffs, but they won’t being running roughshod over the league again. I hope I’m wrong, though, because an Eagles vs. Chiefs Super Bowl would be incredible. Imagine how cute the screens would get.