Super Bowl LVIII was a messy classic. But in the end, the Kansas City Chiefs prevailed, winning 25–22 over the San Francisco 49ers in overtime on a touchdown pass from Patrick Mahomes to Mecole Hardman.
There was plenty to take away from a game filled with great plays, miscues and a great finish. Let’s break down the top five takeaways from Super Sunday.
5. Kickers are people, too
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This game would never have seen overtime if it wasn’t for three Harrison Butker field goals of over 50 yards. Butker now holds the Super Bowl record for longest made field goal at 57 yards, but 49ers rookie Jake Moody also nailed a pair of kicks over 50, although a blocked extra point proved crucial.
In overtime, Moody once again connected to give San Francisco the lead. Unfortunately for Moody and the 49ers, Butker wasn’t needed on Kansas City’s final drive.
4. The 49ers made the right investment in Chase Young
Young didn’t play well (or with full effort) at times during the regular season, but he showed up big against the Chiefs.
In the first quarter, Young sacked Mahomes, only the third Mahomes had taken the entire postseason. Throughout the game, Young routinely created pressure off the left side of the offensive line, beating veteran Donovan Smith and forcing Chiefs coach Andy Reid to bring help off the edge.
While Young’s will likely leave in free agency, his play in the Super Bowl was worth giving up a third-round pick.
3. Kyle Shanahan didn’t live in his fears this time
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Shanahan may have lost another postseason game in which he led by 10 points or more, but it’s hard to blame him. In fact, it’s unfair.
In the fourth quarter and trailing 13–10, Shanahan went for a fourth-down conversion on fourth-and-3 and got the yardage on a four-yard pass to George Kittle.
Ultimately, Shanahan did everything he could from a play-calling and schematic standpoint. He consistently created mismatches when Kansas City played zone defense, giving quarterback Brock Purdy easier throws.
2. The Chiefs are now a dynasty … and will go for history in 2024
Kansas City would have been in the conversation for a dynasty even if it lost Sunday night. Instead, the Chiefs cemented themselves in rarified air.
In the Super Bowl era (1966 to present), only eight teams had won consecutive titles before Kansas City accomplished the feat. Furthermore, it’s only happened once since ’93, the start of the salary cap and free agency, with the Dallas Cowboys splitting the difference (’92 to ’93).
Now, the Chiefs have an offseason to figure out a slew of defensive free agents before attempting to win a third consecutive Super Bowl, something that’s never happened. The only two teams to ever win three consecutive titles in any period were the Green Bay Packers, who did so from 1929 to ’31 and ’65 to ’67.
1. Patrick Mahomes is on a path to catch Tom Brady
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Mahomes is on an all-time trajectory as he continues to show he has a chance to catch Brady both in stature and accolades.
On Sunday night, Mahomes threw for 333 yards and two touchdowns despite being under constant pressure from San Francisco’s front four. He also added 66 rushing yards to lead the team, finishing with 399 total yards. With those numbers, Mahomes also won his third Super Bowl MVP, joining Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw in that regard.
At 28 years old, Mahomes has three Super Bowl wins in four appearances, a trio of aforementioned Super Bowl MVPs, two NFL MVPs and a pair of 5,000-yard seasons. He’s also now checked off being a repeat champion, something nobody had done since Brady and the New England Patriots in 2003 to ’04.
