Why The Chiefs Won The Super Bowl

I didn’t think we’d be here.

Underdogs on the road. Underdogs on the road again. Underdogs in the Super Bowl (even though everyone picked them). Down 10 points in the first half. No semblance of an offense. And yet the confetti for the third time in five years falls yellow and red.

The Chiefs are champs again.

It wasn’t the prettiest run, and it wasn’t the prettiest game, but it was the perfect ending to encapsulate the Chiefs season. When it mattered most, both sides of the ball, highlighted by 15, made plays to win the game.

I’ll let the rest of the media indulge in the dick sucking contest of Pat Mahomes. Not that he doesn’t deserve it, but I don’t want to do it. I’ll just talk about the game.

1) Defense Wins Championships

“How bout that D?” – Andy Reid

The old adage remains true, and this season more than ever for the Chiefs. And this game as much as any.

It wasn’t a pretty start for KC, and even though it wasn’t until four minutes left in the second quarter, it felt like it was 10-0 like snaps that. Cause the Chiefs never threatened on offense. The one “drive” they had was a one play bomb to Mecole where Pacheco fumbled the next down. 27 yards of offense outside of the Mecole deep shot in the first 25 minutes of game time. Multiple fumbles, multiple penalties, it looked like the regular season Chiefs team who no one thought had a chance of making it to this game.

But the defense stood on business as the cool kids say. A forced fumble on CMC on the first drive kept points off the board. The only score they allowed was off a trick play. They were on the field for most of the half with no pulse coming from their offense and they got them to the break within a score.

And that was just the start. Their biggest feat came early in the third, forcing a three and out after an uncharacteristic pick by Mahomes put SF in plus territory up seven. One first down equals points, a two possession game, and momentum in favor of San Francisco. This was the turning point of the game in my mind that no one's talking about.

They forced two more three and outs after that until their offense gave them the lead. And while they allowed some yards the last few drives, they made the stops when they needed to. 3rd and 4 at the two minute warning, basically the game on the line. Cover zero, all out blitz getting a free rusher and a PBU.

3rd and 4 in OT, another blitz that gets Chris Jones free to the QB quick enough to miss two wide open receivers for would-be TDs.

On the other side, the Niners on 3rd and 6 in OT brought the house but couldn’t get a free rusher to get to Mahomes before hitting Rice across the middle.

This unit kept them in the game in the first half. They stalled the 49ers in the third quarter to allow a comeback. And in the biggest moments, on the biggest downs, came up with play after play. And let 15 do the rest.

The Chiefs are not champs without this defense.

2) It’s A Three-Phase Game

Again, the old adage is true. While constantly overlooked, so many big games, including Super Bowls, come down to special teams mistakes. And every one that happened in this one was on the Niners.

Who would’ve thought a fumbled punt wouldn’t be RayRay’s fault?

Who would’ve thought Jake Moody would miss a kick but it wouldn’t be the 55 and 53-yarders? 

The Chiefs might not kick a field goal on 4th and goal from the six with five minutes left if he makes that extra point. They definitely can’t kick the field goal with five seconds left if they’re down four. Moody chunk pulled that extra point like a 20 handicapper from 100 yards out in the fairway, and that kick and fumble alone were responsible for more than the three points the Niners lost by.

The Chiefs on the other hand were unsurprisingly flawless on special teams. It’s hard to lose when you dominate one aspect of the game, even forgotten special teams, the way KC did.

3) San Francisco Abandoned The Run

I started my preview blog saying the 49ers wouldn’t be the Ravens and would run the ball. And in the first half, I was a genius. They fed CMC early and often and leveraged play action effectively off it. And they got out to a lead. Thanks for listening.

But in the third quarter they became the Ravens. Or the 2016 Falcons. They stopped running the ball altogether, but more blasphemously on first down. With the lead!

• The Niners ran nine plays on their first three second half drives: eight passes, one run, including three straight passes after the Mahomes INT.

• Of the Niners first seven 1st and 10s in the second half, they ran the ball once.

And poof. Just like that, they stall, and the Chiefs grab the lead. Why Shanahan turns away from the run with leads in the Super Bowl goes beyond my pay grade, and as much as I don’t want to hop on the bandwagon of criticizing Kyle for decision making in big games, how do I let this slide? It doesn’t matter if McCaffrey wasn’t shredding the defense to his normal capacity (he still averaged almost 4 yards a carry). It doesn’t matter if the defense shows you a run stop look. You have a lead against the best QB in the game, control the clock! Keep him off the field. Or at least try. Set yourself up for third and manageable instead of third and long. Whether they score on those drives or not, by throwing and stopping the clock with regularity he lengthened the game, and if those seconds or minutes weren’t on the clock late in the fourth, they might be the ones popping bottles.  

I won’t barrage Shanahan like many for the overtime decision. I get his reasoning. I don’t know if I agree with it, but I get it.

4) Their QB Is Awesome

I’m not hating here. I mean I literally just said he’s awesome. But you can’t look me in the face and say he was the number one reason they won. Why?

If the three things I highlighted before hadn’t happened, he would’ve never had the opportunity to do what he did in the fourth quarter and OT. And if he never had the opportunity to do it, he wouldn’t have done it, because there would've been no opportunity to do it. Following?

Luckily for him, those things did happen, and did provide him the opportunity to be the clutchest dude in the game. And he showed everyone he is.

There was no doubt from Kansas City to Tokyo that he was going to tie the game at the end of regulation. And he did so quicker than everyone’s brain thinking of T Swift after they read Tokyo in the last sentence. Hell they might’ve won then if they ran another play with six seconds left.

There was slightly more but not much more doubt he would drive 75 yards for a title when SF kicked the OT field goal. It took a fourth down and multiple third downs, two of which he took into his own hands on the ground, to do it, but he did. When it matters most the guy just delivers.

The Niners didn't kill him when they had the chance, and the great ones take advantage of opportunities when given them. They elevate the guys around them in the biggest and most critical moments to outperform their regular capabilities. And they have an nonsensical amount of belief that they'll get the job done. And then get the job done. (OK, I sucked his dick a little).

And he and the Chiefs have done the damn thing again. Unreal.

He ain’t Brady tho, so quit asking.