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Len Dawson Is Better Than Patrick Mahomes: A Sentimental Dad’s Argument

My son, Jack, is a teenager, so there is a lot we disagree on. Curfews. Sleep habits. The greatest rapper of all time. (He tells me Led Zeppelin doesn’t count.) The position I’m dug in on, unwisely, is this:

Len Dawson is the greatest quarterback in the history of the Kansas City Chiefs.

Jack, 15, is a Patrick Mahomes guy.

Statistically, I don’t have a leg to stand on. Over 19 seasons, first in the N.F.L. and then the old A.F.L., Dawson threw for 28,711 yards and 239 touchdowns, and put up a quarterback rating of 82.