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KC Chiefs: Patrick Mahomes wasn’t even at his best in Super Bowl LIV

By Cameron Black

MIAMI GARDENS, FL - FEBRUARY 02: Kansas City Chiefs Quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) prepares to throw the ball during the NFL Super Bowl LIV game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, FL on February 2, 2020. (Photo by Doug Murray/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
MIAMI GARDENS, FL - FEBRUARY 02: Kansas City Chiefs Quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) prepares to throw the ball during the NFL Super Bowl LIV game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, FL on February 2, 2020. (Photo by Doug Murray/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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Patrick Mahomes won Super Bowl LIV MVP, but the KC Chiefs quarterback had one of the worst performances of his career. It still didn’t matter.

*EDITOR’S NOTE – Cameron Black, the staff member who wrote this, is blind, but has a great feel for the game, even without his vision. This article was written with the help of a screen reader.*

Patrick Mahomes cemented his place not only in Kansas City Chiefs history, but in all of sports history this past weekend. He added onto his already illustrious career, writing his own legend by being the youngest player to ever win league MVP, then come back the next year just to win the Super Bowl and the MVP of that as well, all before the age of 25.

One of the popular storylines going into Super Bowl LIV before kickoff was that it was absolutely crucial to the Chiefs success that Mahomes have a stellar game and play lights out football. With a stout defense on the other side of the field and a strong running attack from the 49ers, if Mahomes looked anything less than brilliant, the Chiefs would probably lose the game.

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This argument was not contested much if at all. Others wrote pieces about how Mahomes was the sole reason that the Chiefs were favored at all, and they turned out to be right, but not for the reasons that you might think.

The truth is that Patrick Mahomes really didn’t have a good game in Super Bowl LIV. For the first three quarters, Mahomes threw two interceptions. He spent the majority of his time either trying to get the ball out of his hands as quickly as possible and therefore throwing arrant passes, or running from his life from a 49ers defensive line that was breathing fire on him all night.

It sounds like I am blaming Mahomes for this performance, and that couldn’t be further from the truth. By his own admission at the end of the game, that 49ers defensive front was without a doubt the toughest defense he has yet to face in his young career.

The 49ers defensive game plan was to make sure Mahomes was mighty uncomfortable so he could not unleash any of his Mahomes magic, and for the first three quarters of the game it seemed to have worked. The Niners defensive front was all over Mahomes and our magician of a quarterback looked down right frazzled at times, confused and frustrated.

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Heading into the fourth quarter, it looked like the Chiefs Super Bowl aspirations would end at the big game, and that it would be better luck next year, but they just wouldn’t be the Kansas City Chiefs if they didn’t take us all the way to the brink, just to come screaming back when it mattered most.

There were roughly seven minutes to go when the fuse was ignited on the most important comeback of a postseason filled with  comebacks. On 3rd and 15, from the Chiefs own 35 yard line, Mahomes threw a pass that almost looked under thrown, just to be caught 44 yards down field by Tyreek Hill. With that play, the momentum pendulum began to swing and Kermit the frog would turn back into Patrick Mahomes.

Down by ten points and save  minutes away from losing the biggest game of his career, Mahomes would lead the Chiefs on three scoring drives, giving them a 24-20 lead. Damien Williams blew the top off the game with a 38 yard touchdown run when all he needed to seal the win was the first down. What a showoff, right?

Mahomes would go on to win Super Bowl MVP, despite a rather lackluster performance for the first three quarters of the game. It was well deserved although a case could certainly be made for a player such as Damien Williams for MVP, or even Chris Jones for windmilling a few Jimmy Garoppolo passes out of the air when it mattered most. Mahomes was the it factor in this game though and that’s ultimately why he’s the MVP of Super Bowl LIV.

Going into this game, the two keys to victory were that the Chiefs couldn’t get behind by more than a touchdown and Mahomes had to play lights out. The proof of Mahomes being the most clutch player any of us have ever seen, is that neither one of those storylines came to fruition and yet the Chiefs hoisted the Lombardy Trophy anyway.

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    • In a way, Mahomes proved how great he is by not being that great and still propelling his team to a Super Bowl victory. If the game had been a fireworks display from start to finish, we would have all been just as impressed as we are now and just as happy with the win, but it proved once more that even if the Chiefs are down by ten points to one of the toughest teams in the league, as long as Mahomes is taking the snaps, the Chiefs are never out of it.

    Patrick Mahomes showed us all how good he is, by not being very good for most of the game. The most impressive thing about Mahomes, is that a lot of his “Mahomes Magic” is yet to be tapped. He just led his team to a Super Bowl victory for the first time in 50 years, while honestly not even playing that well until the final seven minutes of the game.

    So, it stands to reason that Mahomes has yet to reach his peak as a quarterback, meaning that barring any injury, he will only get better. Let me repeat that: He was league MVP last year after he threw 50 touchdowns for over 5,000 yards. He is Super Bowl MVP after honestly not having a very good game, and he is only going to get better.

    While Mahomes did not have his best game – far from it in fact – he proved to everyone that he didn’t need to have his best game to carry the Chiefs to a victory. This is a feeling that even after two years, perhaps Chiefs Kingdom is not quite used to.

    A debate could certainly be had that no other quarterback could have dug their way out of that hole, and certainly no quarterback in Chiefs history, but Mahomes is a wonderful enigma. He can have an off day on the biggest stage of his young life, throw a couple of picks and still perform enough Mahomes Magic to elevate his team to score 21 points in seven minutes against one of the best defenses in the league.

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    The future of this fan base and this team is extremely bright with Mahomes taking the snaps and the sky is the limit for him and those that surround him. As long as Patrick Mahomes is the quarterback of the Kansas City Chiefs, they will always have a shot.

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