‘We were better’ – Kurt Warner says the Rams’ Greatest Show on Turf had more firepower than Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Kansas City Chiefs

Kurt Warner was filled with praise when discussing one of the greatest quarterback in NFL history.

While some insist that it’s still too early to compare Patrick Mahomes with Tom Brady, a Hall of Fame QB who won Super Bowl XXIV believes that Mahomes is on a more impressive early path than Brady.

“Patrick Mahomes has already had tremendous success playing the position at such a young age,” Warner, an NFL Network analyst, exclusively told talkSPORT.

But when it comes to comparing Mahomes’ high-powered Kansas City Chiefs attack with the offense led by Warner during his peak with the St. Louis Rams, a man who won two NFL MVPs and threw 208 career touchdowns believes there is only one winner in the debate.

The Greatest Show on Turf.

“Oh, yeah, we were better,” Warner confidently said. “That’s for sure.”

“I’m not sure the quarterback was better. But, overall, we were better. I mean, we had more talent … Hall of Famers all over the place.

“We did something in an era that had never been done before.”

Joined by head coach Andy Reid and tight end Travis Kelce, Mahomes has created a modern dynasty in Kansas City.

The Chiefs have won back-to-back Super Bowls and are eyeing a first-ever trophy three-peat.

Since Mahomes became a starter in 2018, Kansas City has made six consecutive AFC Conference championship games and won three world titles.

Throw in the season-long boost that pop music superstar Taylor Swift provided throughout the 2023 season, and it’s easy to bow down to the Chiefs’ almighty power.

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But the 53-year-old Warner wasn’t just being bold.

He was accurate.

Twenty-five seasons removed from a 1999 Super Bowl, the Rams’ nonstop turf show has become underrated.

Statistics show just how dominant St. Louis was between the lines, leading the NFL in total offensive scoring and yards from 1999-2001.

While Reid is rightfully credited with being a contemporary offensive architect getting the best out of Mahomes and Kelce year after year, Mike Martz turned Marshall Faulk, Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt and Warner into an unstoppable attack that was decades ahead of its time.

Warner, Faulk and Bruce are in the Hall of Fame, while Bruce made four Pro Bowls.

At their best, the Rams blended Air Coryell, run and shoot, and college spread systems that set the stage for the franchise QB craze that has followed.

St. Louis did it all while turning Warner — who spent seven years bouncing around the football world before he found a place in the NFL — into an MVP who led the league in completion percentage, passing TDs, yards per attempt and passer rating during the same brilliant season.

“We ushered in what is the NFL right now, with showing people that you can throw the football to win and you can consistently be good at throwing the football,” Warner said.

“I think the mentality back in the day was, ‘Oh man, just bad things happen when you throw the football — incompletions and interceptions and turnovers.’

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“You know, run the football and play good defense. We showed people that you could do the opposite, if you have attention to detail.

“The second thing about it was our level of consistency was unique and rare. To have over 500 points three straight years. To do it through the passing game the way that we did. To set the records and establish that level of consistency, year in and year out, is what makes us different than really any offense.”

Mahomes’ Chiefs play regular-season 17 games, giving them a one-game advantage over Warner’s Rams.

In 1999, the Rams went 13-3 and held off Steve McNair’s Tennessee Titans to win the Super Bowl.

The Greatest Show on Turf racked up 6,412 total offensive yards and 55 TDs while averaging 6.5 yards per play.

In 2022, the Chiefs went 14-3 and held off Jalen Hurts’ Philadelphia Eagles to win the big game.

Mahomes and Kelce worked with Reid to produce 7,032 yards, 59 TDs and 6.4 average yards.

The numbers are very comparable, but Warner still sees a difference in the offensive approaches.

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“Another thing about this era that’s so different is that there’s yards to be had and completions and all that stuff … by throwing the ball within five yards of the line of scrimmage,” Warner said.

“We didn’t do that — we threw the ball down the field. We pushed the envelope. It was about being accurate and making plays down the field every game.”

The Chiefs changed their script in 2024, as an offense that was inconsistent throughout the regular season was carried by the No. 2 defense in the league.

Overall, Kansas City built a dynasty and won three Super Bowls with Mahomes in his prime, while the Rams only won one with Warner.

In 2001, the No. 1 offense in the league fell 20-17 to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXVI on a last-second kick by Adam Vinatieri.

Bill Belichick and Tom Brady began a two-decade dynasty, getting in Warner’s way and forever changing the Greatest Show on Turf.

But it’s hard to imagine Mahomes doing everything for the Chiefs — throwing behind-the-back passes and winning three Super Bowl MVPs — without Warner and the Rams first blazing a modern path.

Running was everything in the NFL, then there was a 50-50 balance.

It took the Greatest Show on Turf to prove that QBs and a wide-open passing game built on downfield precision could put up huge stats, and also win the big game.

“I haven’t really seen anybody that was as different as we were and as consistently great as we were,” Warner said. “I still like to think that we’re the best offense in NFL history.

“I’m sure lots of people will have their arguments: Peyton (Manning) and Tom and maybe Patrick with different seasons that they’ve had.

“But I do believe that our team was different and I haven’t seen anybody that quite equals it.”

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