Off The Gridiron: Mahomes Controls the Chiefdom Now

After the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV, a lot of blame was placed on the 49ers for blowing a 10 point advantage that they held late into the fourth quarter. But, the 49ers did not lose because of conservative time management or inaccurate passing, they simply lost because of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

For the first 52 minutes of the game, the 49ers defense made Mahomes look uncharacteristically mortal. 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh set up his secondary in a preventative deep cover three in order to limit the Chiefs’ big plays and allow his pass rushers to apply pressure on Mahomes. Saleh’s plan worked — for the most part — as the 49ers defense sacked Mahomes four times and picked him off twice.

Although the 49ers defensive performance may have caused onlookers to temporarily forget about Mahomes’ inexplicable talent for about three-and-a-half quarters, the generational quarterback emphatically reminded us of it in the final stretch of the game.

The Chiefs were down 20–10 with eight minutes left, seemingly down and out. But for Mahomes this was just another deficit, no different than the ones he had overcome against the Texans or Titans on his way to Miami. In addition to his natural arm talent, Mahomes' greatness lies in the fact that he is unfazed by the high-pressure moments or obstacles. The marquee plays of this latest Mahomes comeback were the sloppy 15-yard drop back that somehow resulted in a 44-yard bomb to receiver Tyreek Hill and then a perfectly thrown 38-yard pass down the right sideline that hit receiver Sammy Watkins in stride to the 10-yard line on the next drive. When it was all said and done, Mahomes led the Chiefs to a 21-point fourth quarter and a Super Bowl victory.

Even the speed and intensity at which Mahomes struck the 49ers does not quite do his greatness justice. 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, along with Saleh, built a nearly perfect team that executed their game plan to perfection against the Chiefs. On offense, Shanahan stretched the Chiefs' defense by calling a series of zone runs and play-action passes, while Saleh’s strategy bottled up Mahomes for most of the game.

This seemingly perfect 49ers team could only be dethroned by the greatness of Mahomes. He not only took down one of the most complete teams in recent memory, but he bounced back from his unexpected early mistakes in the game’s last act. He definitely did not play his best for the first 52 minutes, but he only needed the last eight to become a champion. That’s why Patrick Mahomes was the MVP of Super Bowl LIV, and will terrorize defenses for years to come.