Jan 17, 2026; Seattle, WA, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) is pressured by the Seattle Seahawks defense during the second half in an NFC Divisional Round game at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Ng-Imagn Images Kevin Ng-Imagn Images

Why the Patrick Mahomes Influence in Playoffs Is Clear

Originally posted on Kansas City Chiefs on SI
By Logan Lazarczyk | Last updated Jan 19, 2026 10:00 AM ET

On Saturday night, the San Francisco 49ers went up against a familiar opponent in the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Divisional Round, hoping to pull off an upset win with a decimated the lineup. However, the injuries, which have piled up on both sides of the ball, proved to the 49ers' undoing, as the Seahawks flew circles around San Francisco in a 41-6 landslide victory.

The 49ers have been dealing with a slew of injuries all season, and that was amplified last weekend when George Kittle suffered a torn Achilles against the Philadelphia Eagles. It was a nightmarish matchup for San Francisco, as Seattle is a faster, younger, and more explosive team, coming off a bye and extra time to prepare for the beat-up 49ers.

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Quarterback Brock Purdy has arguably had his best season as a starter, considering the variables he has had to deal with throughout the season. However, the 26-year-old quarterback was swarmed constantly on Saturday night, running for 413 yards on 33 dropbacks just in attempting to evade Seattle's pass rush.

Tom Brady was in the commentator booth for this game, and he shared his thoughts on that development, comparing it to a personal experience.

Brady's Comments

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"That's almost like Patrick Mahomes in the Super Bowl I played against him," Brady said.

Being compared to the three-time Super Bowl MVP should be a good thing, but in this case, it is the complete opposite. Not saying that Purdy was terrible, but running for that many yards just to create an opportunity tells the whole story of how the game unfolded.

In Context

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Mahomes and Brady faced off in Super Bowl LV in Tampa, Florida, which was in the Buccaneers stadium, providing a travel advantage for Brady and his new team. In addition, Mahomes would be without his two starting offensive tackles, leaving the superstar quarterback completely helpless on countless dropbacks.

Kansas City's inability and reluctance to lean on the run game played right into Tampa Bay's hands, as defensive coordinator Todd Bowles was able to draw up schemes with the front four and dropping seven in coverage. Deploying four pass rushers every play should not produce as much pressure as it did, but against the Chiefs' makeshift offensive line, that is exactly what happened.

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By a divine miracle, Mahomes was sacked only three times, but to avoid being taken down double-digit times behind the line of scrimmage, he ran a total of 497 yards.

Purdy experienced the same fate against Seattle, derailing the 49ers' chances of ever competing for a spot in the conference title game.

This article first appeared on Kansas City Chiefs on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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