The NFL is becoming an easy-to-understand league, even for those who struggle with complex schemes and playbooks. All you really need to know is that Patrick Mahomes will most likely be part of a winning team. The same goes for Las Vegas on Sunday. Mahomes led the Kansas City Chiefs to a thrilling 25-22 overtime victory over the San Francisco 49ers to win their third Super Bowl title in five years.
For much of the season, the Chiefs’ chances of reaching the Super Bowl seemed slim. Aside from his favorite targets, Travis Kelce and rookie LaShie Rice , the receivers around Mahomes all have two things in common: They can’t catch the ball and they can’t get open. That meant fans were seeing for the first time in the Mahomes era: the Chiefs’ defense, orchestrated by excellent coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, was producing something.
The Chiefs won the toss and elected to kick off, giving the 49ers their first possession. Maybe the Chiefs thought their superior defense could stop the 49ers and gain a psychological advantage. Things happened quickly: George Karaftis, born in Athens to a Greek father and an American mother, forced a fumble in the Chiefs half from Christian McCaffrey, who had been criticized days earlier. The NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year. Mahomes’ hand. The 49ers’ run defense hasn’t looked solid in the playoffs so far, but it’s improved on its own, stopping Chiefs’ rushing running back Isiah Pacheco ), resulting in a three-yard loss. Mahomes’ brief completion wasn’t enough to keep the game’s momentum going, and the Chiefs were kicked out.
While Mahomes’ counterpart, Brock Purdy, gets McCaffrey, receivers Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel and offensive tackle Trent William on offense this season He was helped by talented teammates like James, but he was far more than the game manager his critics painted him to be. : He led the league in passer rating during the regular season, ranked third in touchdowns and had a penchant for exciting risk-taking plays. It took Purdy less than 10 minutes to try in this game: On the 49ers’ next possession, he ran around before throwing the ball over his body – the quarterback was told Never do this because it will ruin their finely tuned throw mechanics – giving George Kittle 18 yards. The game was called off due to a holding penalty, but Purdy has shown he’s going to play his way.
Both sides did not score a point in the first quarter, which proved the strength of both sides’ defense. Soon after, San Francisco opened the scoring with Jake Moody’s 55-yard field goal, the longest in Super Bowl history.
The Chiefs looked to be going right back when Mahomes found Mecole Hardman for a 53-yard gain — a rare instance of the 49ers pass rush allowing Mahomes to have Enough time to complete a pass of over 10 yards – which brought Kansas City to the 49ers’ nine-yard line. But the 49ers forced a fumble, Commodore Lenoir knocked the ball away from Pacheco and Javon Hargrave recovered.
It’s safe to say it wasn’t a classic – the most exciting part of the game so far came when the camera cut to Jeff Goldblum in the crowd, holding up a heart with his hand gesture. The Chiefs didn’t seem happy either, with Kelce snarling at his head coach Andy Reid on the sideline as he came off the field.
It takes something special to open the game, and it does so through a trick. Purdy threw the ball to receiver Jayan Jennings, who passed it to McCaffrey. The pass was as ugly as you’d imagine from a guy who makes a living catching the ball, and the ball seemed to stay in the air for a long time. But shockingly, McCaffrey was in space — and he took advantage of it ruthlessly — as he sprinted into the end zone to give the 49ers a 10-0 lead.
Mahomes’ problem is that he simply doesn’t trust his receivers to make good plays, except for a long catch against Hardman. That means the 49ers defense is able to limit Mahomes’ short completions and contain his threat. Mahomes did lead the team on a field goal at the end of the first half to make it 10-3, but the fact that he couldn’t find the end zone speaks volumes about how effectively he was contained.
Perhaps Mahomes’ frustration only grew after halftime, as he went deep early in the third quarter and threw an ugly pass between two receivers and dropped it to the 49 In the hands of Yankees safety Gilaire Brown. It was a bad pass by average quarterback standards, and for Mahomes, it was downright awful. However, the 49ers’ offense hardly showed its own characteristics, and their next two drives ended in punts. But another Super Bowl record was soon set: Harrison Butker’s 57-yard field goal cut the 49ers’ lead to 10-6 and ended Moody’s run in the record books short stay.
The Chiefs took an early lead, although much of that was due to the sloppiness of the 49ers. Darrell Luter Jr. fumbled a punt deep in his own territory, the Chiefs recovered, and Mahomes fired a pass to Marquez Valdes-Scantling. Scandling) passing touchdown. It was a sweet moment for a receiver who has made a lot of mistakes this season. The Chiefs led 13-10 entering the final quarter.
It was at this point that Purdy and Mahomes, who had been disappointing for most of the game, found a new level. On the next fourth and third down, the 49ers had a chance to tie the game. But 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan decided to trust Purdy, who has excelled in comeback wins in San Francisco’s last two games, and his quarterback repaid the favor with a short snap against Kittle. This kind of trust. Purdy then threw a touchdown pass to Aiyuk, but Moody’s extra point was blocked, which meant the Chiefs chased the score to 16-13. This was a key difference, and Mahomes led the team to The score was tied at 16-16 with 5:46 left.
With 1:53 left in the game, Moody had a field goal attempt from 53 yards out, a tough stretch for any kicker, let alone a rookie who didn’t succeed on his last attempt. , Moody’s became the focus of attention. His shot put the team ahead 19-16, and the ball was in Mahomes’ hands and the game was about to end. Naturally, he led the way with a game-tying field goal with three seconds left. The Super Bowl went into overtime for the first time since the 2016 season (and only the second time in history).
The 49ers won the toss and took the ball to start the game. It initially looked like their offense had stalled, but defensive play on third down gave them a second chance. A couple of McCaffrey’s big plays looked like they would lead to a touchdown, but the 49ers were stopped at the Chiefs’ 9-yard line and Moody’s field goal gave the 49ers a 22-19 lead.
Of course, that wasn’t enough to beat Mahomes. Twice the Chiefs looked like they couldn’t continue the drive, and Mahomes twice used his legs for first downs. Then came the dagger: a pass to Hardman at the goal line. This time, the Chiefs receivers didn’t drop the ball.
This is Mahomes’ third Super Bowl win. He is not yet 30 years old.
