Purdy Fighting to Join Chiefs’ Mahomes With This Distinction

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Patrick Mahomes didn’t mince words on Thursday.

“It sucks watching these games,” the Chiefs’ quarterback said, his first comments since December knee surgery. “I mean, I want to be out there playing football, and especially at this time of year, the best time of year to play football. So, they'll give us the motivation, hopefully, for us to come back stronger next year.”

Purdy, Niners inspiring Chiefs

One of those providing that motivation is Brock Purdy, Mahomes’ counterpart in Super Bowl 58 two years ago. Purdy has the 49ers back in the playoffs. After leading San Francisco to a pair of go-ahead scores in the fourth quarter of last week’s 23-19 comeback win at Philadelphia, Purdy and the Niners visit Seattle on Saturday night (7 p.m. CT, FOX).

According to Doug Clawson, Purdy with a win on Saturday would join Mahomes as one of only two NFL quarterbacks since the league merger to reach a conference title game three times over his first four NFL seasons.

Brock Purdy is seeking his 3rd Conference Champ appearance, which would match Patrick Mahomes for the most by any QB through 4 seasons since 1970#49ersvsSeahawks
— Doug Clawson (@doug_clawson) January 17, 2026

Mr. Irrelevant on verge of something impressive

Purdy, the last selection in the 2022 NFL draft, guided the 49ers to the NFC championship game as a rookie before Philadelphia ended their season and advanced to meet the Chiefs in Super Bowl 57.

Purdy won the conference title game the following year, advancing to meet Mahomes, Mecole Hardman and the Chiefs in one of the best Super Bowls of all-time.

brock purd — Jan 11, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) catches a snap against the Philadelphia Eagles during the fourth quarter in an NFC Wild Card Round game at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

But like Mahomes this year, Purdy had to watch the 2024 playoffs from home. Like the 2025 Chiefs, San Francisco finished 6-11 last season.

Mahomes actually guided the Chiefs to a third consecutive AFC championship appearance in his third season as a starter, 2020. After sitting behind Alex Smith as a rookie, Mahomes led the Chiefs to title-game berths in 2018 against the Patriots, 2019 against the Titans and 2020 against the Bills.

mahomes, brad — Nov 29, 2020; Tampa, Florida, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) meets with Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (12) following the victory at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-Imagn Images | Kim Klement-Imagn Images

He then led the Chiefs to four more, a seven-year string of conference championship appearances that ended in 2025.

Including playoffs, Purdy is 35-17 (.673) over his four-year career entering the Saturday showdown at Seattle. Mahomes over his first four NFL seasons, including his 2017 rookie campaign in which he started just one game, was 44-10 (.815).

While Mahomes will suffer through watching Purdy in action Saturday, the rest of his Chiefs teammates might not be subjecting themselves to the torture.

“I think guys are getting away right now,” Mahomes said, “kind of getting their minds right, getting their bodies right. But guys are hungry to get back out there. I mean, it's hard to watch these playoff games.”

Chiefs Kingdom, survive and advance during the playoffs by keeping that browser right here at OnSI. Fresh news and analysis from your beloved team is ready 365 days a year. And don’t ever miss another story; register for our FREE newsletter – sent with all the latest each day … SIGN UP HERE NOW.