In the eight weeks between Halloween and Christmas, the Kansas City Chiefs were in shambles. Calling their offense pedestrian would be a compliment. Six weeks after their pitiful loss to the Raiders on Christmas Day, Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers 25–22 in a culmination of their battle-tested season to capture their third Super Bowl in five years. The action-packed game revealed a lot about the Chiefs’ greatness and left us with questions about the future of both teams. For the last time this NFL season, here are our five takeaways.

A Tier of His Own

In our Super Bowl preview, I emphasized how, in the complex landscape of football, a singular player cannot entirely compensate for team deficiencies. Yet, if there’s a player—present or historical—whose individual impact rivals the collective, it’s Patrick Mahomes. Last night, he showcased this truth by orchestrating two critical drives: one to force overtime and another to clinch victory. Mahomes exhibited versatility, using his legs when needed, making precise reads, and calling key audibles. He did not miss a single throw in overtime and ran for two key first downs. His ability to manage a game is reminiscent of Tom Brady; taking what the defense gives him 95% of the time but making game-changing plays when necessary. Despite facing the statistically toughest road to the Super Bowl in NFL history (per Defense-adjusted Value Over Average) and leading his team with his weakest supporting cast yet, Mahomes prevailed. Similar to Michael Jordan’s run in the 90s, Mahomes has relegated so many would-be legends (Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, Kyle Shanahan) to minor characters. With three Super Bowl MVPs and two regular season ones, he has entered a tier of his own, vaulting himself above guys like Joe Montana, Peyton Manning, and Aaron Rodgers all-time, despite only being 28. While he has yet to match Brady’s unparalleled greatness—he likely needs two more rings to do so—as a lifelong Patriots fan who owes many of his happiest moments to Brady, I can confidently say #15 is the best I’ve ever witnessed.

Chiefs Coaching Masterclass 

After a bit of a rough start, head coach Andy Reid and Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo called very strong games and cemented their status as a legendary head coaching-coordinator duo. Let’s start with Reid, who was largely out-gameplanned by Niners Defensive Coordinator Steve Wilks for the majority of the first half, but managed to figure it out as the game progressed. The Chiefs head coach particularly deserves credit for not bailing on his run game down double digits—a mistake the Baltimore Ravens made in their loss to Kansas City a couple of weeks ago—and simplifying his passing game into shorter crossing routes, which allowed his playmakers like Travis Kelce and Rashee Rice to rip off big yards after the catch. There were also incredible play calls in massive moments; the Chiefs offense was continuously pushed to the brink in overtime, but they always converted, which is a testament to the genius of Mahomes and Reid. 

All that being said, Spagnuolo might have had an even better game. After getting pushed around early, the Chiefs’ defense completely shut down the Niners for half of the second quarter and all of the third quarter. Spagnuolo’s unit kept Kansas City in the game and successfully bought enough time for Mahomes and Reid to figure out the San Francisco defense—and, just like the offense, they showed up in massive moments. The Niners’ offense had several crucial third downs throughout this game, and the Chiefs won those battles every time with constant pressure on quarterback Brock Purdy. In all, it was a masterclass from the Kansas City coaching staff and one that puts Reid in the conversation for best coach of all time and Spagnuolo firmly in the discussion for the best coordinator of all time. 

Purdy Close

Brock Purdy played a good football game. He did what Kyle Shanahan asked of him, did not make any egregious mistakes, and made a couple of impressive throws. The problem is, guys who are just good enough don’t win Super Bowls. As a Super Bowl-winning quarterback, you need to go out there and make game-winning plays, and there were a few key moments where Purdy had the opportunity to do so, but fell short. In overtime, on third down, Purdy was under pressure but if he threw it to the sideline he could have connected with Jennings. In the third quarter, on a play-action, Deebo Samuel had a couple of steps on his defender but Purdy overthrew him. Although these weren’t severe errors, they represent the kind of plays quarterbacks must execute to win a Super Bowl. Shanahan’s decision to receive the ball merits discussion (and we will touch on that more later), and his lack of confidence in Purdy likely factored into it. Specifically, not trusting Purdy to score a touchdown if the Chiefs scored initially and San Francisco was playing from behind. Now this is not something that we will ever know as a fact, but if Shanahan had a quarterback like Mahomes, Allen, or Jackson, there is no doubt in my mind he would defer. In the end, Mahomes was a game changer, Purdy played like a game manager, and that is why Kansas City won. Purdy, in only his second year, undoubtedly has room for growth, yet the transient nature of superstar-filled rosters like San Francisco’s suggests that by the time he hones his skills, the window for Super Bowl triumph may have closed. 

ShanaCan’t?

In the aftermath of the game, Kyle Shanahan has found himself in the crosshairs of fans seeking someone to blame. This loss marked his third Super Bowl defeat, all three being in games where he held a double-digit lead. In 2018, Shanahan was the play caller for the Atlanta Falcons in their infamous 28-3 collapse. Shanahan made many mistakes in this game, most notably, going away from the run game, a mistake he also made in 2020 against the Chiefs. He deserves criticism for those two losses but I think Shanahan coached a great game yesterday. He has been labeled conservative over the years, but when faced with a 4th and 3, where many coaches would have kicked it, Shanahan went for it and drew up a beautiful play that gave George Kittle an easy first down. Shanahan also had some brilliant play calls, highlighted by the double pass that saw the first touchdown of the game and stacking three wide receivers for a clutch third-down conversion in the fourth quarter. While some of his innovative designs were thwarted by execution errors, Shanahan’s overall game plan was commendable. 

Regarding the decision to receive the ball in overtime, it’s not as straightforward as critics suggest. While analytics on the matter are still evolving, simulations have shown a near 50/50 split. The argument for deferring is that by getting the ball second, you have four downs to work with instead of three. By getting the ball first, you don’t have this luxury. However, if it is tied after both teams’ first possessions, it becomes sudden death and you get the ball first with the chance to end the game with a field goal. Further, the Chiefs’ defense was clearly gassed so Shanahan likely wanted to take advantage of that and give his defense extra time to rest. As mentioned above, if Shanahan had a more dynamic quarterback his decision likely would have been different, but given the situation, his thought process was sound. There will be overreactions, but Shanahan is nevertheless one of the best minds in football. His four trips in five years to the conference championship still demand respect, despite his results in the big game.  

What’s Next? 

It’s hard to look beyond what just happened and process the futures of both these teams, but we’ll at least give it a try! 

Kansas City is relatively well-positioned to compete for a three-peat this season, particularly on the offensive end; all of their major weapons will be returning, with their only notable free agents being running backs Jerick McKinnon and Clyde Edwards-Helaire and wide receiver Mecole Hardman. If there were to be concerns, it would be on the other side of the ball—two of their best defenders, defensive lineman Chris Jones and cornerback L’Jarius Sneed, will be free agents this offseason and looking for a big payday. Jones in particular might be an interesting case; he was a free agent last year and the Chiefs gave him a one-year deal, indicating that they most likely are not willing to invest long-term in a defensive tackle who will turn 30 next season. I wouldn’t be surprised if he is on another team next year, and Kansas City’s defense could take a step back. Adding to the challenge in the AFC will be the reloaded and revenge-hungry Ravens, some version of the Bills, a young and dangerous Texans squad, and the fully healthy Bengals (who might just be their biggest rival). In short: Kansas City has a chance next year, as they always do with Mahomes, but it might be their toughest path yet. 

At least they have the security of the best quarterback of this generation on their team. The 49ers Super Bowl window might be fading fast, especially with Purdy on only one more year of his rookie deal (as Sam mentioned above). The offense will be solid again—all of their explosive playmakers are locked up for next season—but, like the Chiefs, the defense might be the issue. Stars Javon Kinlaw and Chase Young are free agents, and superstar linebacker Dre Greenlaw might miss a chunk of next year with the Achilles injury he suffered in the Super Bowl. The bright side? The NFC is nowhere near as strong as the AFC, as the Cowboys seem to be running in circles, the Eagles are a bit chaotic, and the Lions are still relatively young and inexperienced. But if San Francisco fails to get it done again next year, their front office might be facing the decision of paying Purdy or one of their elite playmakers. 

Conclusion 

And those are our thoughts following the Super Bowl! We have no clue how we’re gonna go without football for seven months, but we’ll probably manage. On the other hand, it’s time for the NBA! We’ll be back with our thoughts on basketball’s top teams as we get closer to the playoffs, and we’ll probably be breaking down some of the best college football players for April’s NFL draft as well. Sports never stop! 

Sam Weitzman-Kurker can be reached at sweitzmankur@wesleyan.edu. 

Teddy Benchley can be reached at tbenchley@wesleyan.edu.