Super Bowl Sunday rapidly came and went as it usually does. The Kansas City Chiefs came out victorious over the San Francisco 49ers, 25-22. It was a crazy game that went into overtime for just the second time in Super Bowl history. You may still be catching your breath, but don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Here are 5 takeaways from Super Bowl Sunday that we should all remember going into next season…
The Chiefs are the League Standard
The defense. The coaching. The overcoming of adversity. The Kansas City Chiefs had no right to win it all. A year that’s been plagued with drops and inconsistent play, the Chiefs somehow survived and took home the Lombardi. Patrick Mahomes promised that the offense would get better since the beginning of the season. And since the loss to the Raiders on Christmas, the Chiefs outscored opponents 133-92 en route to a 3rd Super Bowl in 5 years. They’re about as close to a dynasty as can get- the standard for what all teams should strive to be.
The Niners are Still Really Good
The Niners were a top 3 rushing defense in back-to-back seasons, and they should retain that stout defensive front. They also finished tied for 1st in defensive interceptions with 22. They still have the best running back in the league right now in Christian McCaffrey. Deebo Samuel should be back, George Kittle should be as well. The guy who would’ve been Super Bowl MVP in an alternate timeline, Jauan Jennings is now a restricted free agent, so he could still come back (probably not though). Regardless, the greatest left tackle of all-time, Trent Williams should be back. Add in a good coach in Kyle Shanahan who has the quarterback he wants in Brock Purdy, and a general manager who is always willing to make big moves. The Niners should be just fine next year and could potentially be a Super Bowl favorite once again.
Brock Purdy is the QB of the Future
23 for 38 for 255 passing yards, and a touchdown with no interceptions is pretty good by most standards. It just wasn’t good enough to beat Mahomes and Reid. Purdy also only took 1 sack. And let’s face it, if Jake Moody makes the extra point after Purdy threw the touchdown to Jennings, we could be talking about a guy who just threw a game-winning touchdown pass to his 3rd string receiver. He also hit Jennings again later in the 4th which set up a go-ahead field goal with only 1:53 remaining. But as the story usually goes, Mahomes and Reid were just better in the closing moments of the NFL season. All in all, this shouldn’t be looked at as Brock’s fault. Instead, we should just appreciate how good the Chiefs are in the clutch.
The Little Things Added Up
At a certain point, it almost felt inevitable that the Chiefs were going to weasel their way to another playoff comeback. There were so many missed opportunities that the 49ers didn’t take advantage of. Like the opening drive when the offense looked seemingly unstoppable, only to be abruptly ended with a McCaffrey fumble. Or the Isiah Pacheco fumble after the big 54-yard bomb to Mecole Hardman, which the Niners proceeded to go 3 and out with. Then there was the interception at the beginning of the 2nd half by Ji’Ayir Brown which gave the Niners the ball at KC’s 44. But you guessed it, they went 3 and out after a false start messed up the drive and came away with 0 points.
Then of course there was the play that saw a punt deflect off the rookie Darell Luter’s foot, which was then recovered by the Chiefs who only needed 1 play to punch it in the end zone. The latter might fall more in the “lucky” category. Nonetheless, these are mistakes you MUST capitalize on when you are playing the Chiefs. Great teams take a foot when you give them an inch, and that’s exactly what the Chiefs did on Super Bowl Sunday.
Patrick Mahomes is Simply Amazing
Officially Super Bowl MVP for a 3rd time, Mahomes joins an exclusive group. Tom Brady and Joe Montana are the only other 3-time Super Bowl MVPs. Three names that we will forever think of when we talk about greatness. Mahomes finished the regular season with pedestrian numbers for his standards. Only 27 touchdowns while throwing 14 interceptions, he finished with the lowest QBR of his career according to ESPN at 63.1. But when it mattered most, he turned it on, finishing with 6 touchdowns and only 1 interception throughout the playoffs. He also threw for 1,051 yards, which was 1/4 of what he threw for in all of the regular season (4,183). This Super Bowl win also puts him on pace with Brady to finish with 7. He’s just simply an amazing player, and while many NFL fans do hate him (like Brady), it’s all hatred out of respect.
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