A comeback, a blown lead, and the first Super Bowl title in 50 years for the Chiefs.
Chiefs: 31
49ers: 20
A cold, chilly night in Hard Rock Stadium ended in fireworks and confetti for the Kansas City Chiefs who are celebrating their first Super Bowl win in 50 years. The Chiefs won in signature fashion, coming back from a 10 point deficit to win the most important game in the season. However, this game was very different from the others in that Mahomes played relatively poorly for the majority of the game. The Chief’s offense was somewhat limited throughout the first three quarters, but Mahomes eventually rose up and ended up scoring 21 unanswered points to lead the game 31 to 20 while the Chief’s defense played their best game all season.
One month ago, it seemed that the Chiefs wouldn’t even get here to play in the Super Bowl, much less come out as champions. The Chiefs found themselves going into the second half against the Texans down by 24, but Mahomes and the Legion of Zoom saved the day as usual. They went on to score 7 straight touchdown drives, crushing the Texans and their dreams of going on to the AFC championship game.
Next, they had to face the Cinderella run team: the Titans led by Derrick Henry and a surprise addition in Ryan Tannehill. Once again the Chiefs wound up facing another double digit deficit, looking to go home early. Yet again, the Chiefs picked themselves up and went on to defeat the Titans, earning their place in the Super Bowl.
Now, the actual game itself was very uncharacteristic for Mahomes & co. Mahomes himself had a rough game with 2 picks, only completing 26 of his 42 passes, and had only 2 touchdowns with 29 rushing yards total. However, it is always said that the true tell of a person’s talent and hard work is not when they are up but when they are down, and Mahomes proved to us that he is an incredible player who doesn’t give up. Instead of just throwing his hands up in the air and giving up, he rallied his team and went into the fourth quarter ready to dominate. Mahomes threw a crucial 44 yard bomb, the longest play of the game, to Tyreek Hill on a 3rd and forever. Mahomes then threw a touchdown to Travis Kelce to make the score 20 to 17. The defense stepped up and caused a three and out from the 49ers. Mahomes got the ball again and threw an absolute dime of a pass into the basket of Sammy Watkins who was working against Richard Sherman, a shutdown corner. Mahomes was then able to hit Damien Williams for 5 yards and a touchdown, making it 24 to 20. The 49ers were building some momentum, but the Chiefs defense clutched up one more time, stopping the 49ers and causing a turnover on downs. Mahomes and the offense just needed to run the clock out but Williams had different ideas. Williams proceeded to go 38 yards on a rushing touchdown, making the game 31 to 20 and effectively putting the 49ers out of their misery. The Chief’s offense may have had a rough start, but they proved clutch in the end, helping secure a Super Bowl Victory.
The Chief’s defense cannot go unnoticed with the way they played this Sunday. They flat out balled, simple as that. They went out against one of the best rushing teams in all of football and stopped them dead in their tracks with only 141 rushing yards total. They also played amazing pass defense as well, securing 2 interceptions and a sack against Jimmy Garoppolo. The Chief’s defense went through a lot of scrutiny this year. Everybody said they were too inconsistent or they couldn’t handle good teams. This Super Bowl, they proved all the haters wrong and earned themselves a Super Bowl ring in the process.
When talking about the 49ers and how they played, one can only mention disappointment. They went into the 4th quarter with the victory in hand and let it disappear from their very own eyes. The offense was stopped throughout the game and ended up with only 2 great drives overall. Their lauded rushing offense was dead on arrival against the Chief’s defense. Their defense was a different story. They started amazing against the Chiefs, totaling 3 sacks with 2 interceptions which was also Patrick Mahomes’s first interception in his postseason career. Then the unthinkable happened, they lost steam. They got tired. They allowed the Chiefs to come back and steal the victory away from them. In addition, this is Coach Shanahan’s second time blowing a double digit deficit, one in this game and another as offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons in their infamous 28-3 game. Now, don’t count the 49ers out from winning a Super Bowl in the coming years because they have the pieces but they just have to execute better.
Overall, the game was amazing with ups and downs, oohs and aahs, all thanks to the two great teams that duked it out at Hard Rock Stadium. A final congratulations to the Chiefs and Coach Reid, who won his first Super Bowl in his long and illustrious career as a head coach. The Chief’s season was characterized by getting pushed down and getting back up and that’s exactly how they ended the 100th season of the NFL, by never giving up.
