In the annals of football history, Troy Aikman will be remembered by most as the steward of the 1990s Dallas Cowboys — one of the best teams in NFL history. However, while winning three Super Bowls, the Hall of Fame quarterback wasn’t exactly the most productive signal caller. Even in accounting for eras, Aikman only ever threw at least 20 touchdowns once in his 12-year career.
That’s a fact that might come back to make things awkward for the broadcaster when the Chiefs and Raiders duke it out next Monday night.
You see, Aikman threw for 165 touchdowns throughout his entire career. Meanwhile, Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes already has 162 touchdown passes through just over four seasons of his growing prolific career. That means if the Chiefs’ star throws for four scores against Las Vegas, he will have officially eclipsed Aikman in almost 100 fewer starts — with Aikman on the call.
Oh goodness, I can feel the awkwardness from here:
If Patrick Mahomes throws four touchdown passes next week, he will pass Troy Aikman’s entire career total…and Aikman is calling the game for ESPN. Praying for this to happen!! pic.twitter.com/NVnQYv91f2
— Dakota Watson (@dwatson_56) October 4, 2022
I know it’s an objective reality, but seeing Aikman and Mahomes’ numbers juxtaposition is still so jarring. It speaks to the tremendous talent of those Dallas title-winning teams that didn’t need a prolific quarterback. And, it says a lot about how much Mahomes — who is at the absolute top of his game right now — has already accomplished despite being just 27 years old.
Still, I’ll be very curious to see how Aikman reacts if Mahomes surpasses his career mark. For what it’s worth, Mahomes has thrown for four touchdowns 14 times in his career. He has 67 starts. If my math is correct, we’re talking about a player that throws for at least four scores just 20 percent of the time he plays. That’s pretty good!
No wonder he’s about to potentially exceed Aikman’s stats on national television so fast.