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9 months ago
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Never give Patrick Mahomes another chance.
Rattled in the first half, unable to win in the fourth quarter, Mahomes found a way to will his team to victory in one of the longest games in Super Bowl history. They cemented the Chiefs‘ dynasty claims by winning, 25-22, on an overtime pass from Mahomes to Mecole Hardman Jr., who was a Jets castoff.
Worse news for the rest of the NFL: “We’re not done,” Mahomes said in the rush after the game. “We’ve got a lot of young guys.” They have now become the first team in 20 years to win back-to-back titles, and no one has ever won three in a row.
San Francisco was a worthy opponent, harassing Mahomes all game. But they wore down in overtime, allowing Kansas City to counter an earlier field goal on San Francisco’s first possession.
Mahomes finished the game 34-46 for 333 yards. Travis Kelce awoke from a miserable first half to finish with 9 catches for 93 yards, while Isiah Pacheco chipped in with 59 yards rushing and 33 in pass receptions.
The defending champions appeared rattled in the first half, at one point calling a sideline defensive huddle to snap them out of their apparent nerves. CBS announcers said typically unflappable Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes looked uneasy, and it wasn’t surprising. Every time the team started to roll, a mistake popped up – a fumble, a personal foul, an untimely holding penalty – to stifle momentum.
Even Travis Kelce (whom you may have heard about this week thanks to his girlfriend) lost his cool, bumping into head coach Andy Reid at one point and throwing his helmet to the ground in frustration. He caught one in the first half after being a force in the earlier playoff games.
As it turned out, the Chiefs were lucky to escape with just a 10-3 deficit. The 49ers did score, but it took a Super Bowl record 55-yard field goal by rookie Jake Moody and a trick play, with receiver Jauan Jennings throwing to running back Christian McCaffrey, to achieve their total.
The 49ers had one bad blow in the half, losing Pro Bowl linebacker Dre Greenlaw to a freak Achilles injury, sustained when he jumped on the sidelines without being touched.
