The Kansas City Chiefs win Super Bowl LVII 38-35 after trailing by 10 points at the half, clinching their second Super Bowl after trailing by double digits. Patrick Mahomes wins Super Bowl MVP after scoring three touchdowns in the second half and leading Kansas City on a game-sealing field goal drive.
The Philadelphia Eagles were the favorites in every single poll, prediction, and fan vote going into the Super Bowl. They were labeled a possible dynasty before the ball was kicked off in Arizona on Sunday Night. The Chiefs were almost an afterthought because they weren’t the shiny new toy for the media to talk about, but they’ve been here before.
The Eagles had all of the talent, the swagger, and the grittiness of a Super Bowl Champion but they hadn’t played a single snap of the game yet. But the Eagles came out and punched them in the mouth, controlling the time of possession in the first half, converting every third and fourth down conversion in the first half, and scored at ease and they led by 10 going into halftime.
The Chiefs got punched in the mouth and were able to respond, even after Patrick Mahomes re-injured his ankle late in the first half. Patrick Mahomes almost had a flawless second half of football, only missing one pass on a throwaway on a trick play. He not only missed one throw, but he also threw two easy touchdowns on his bad ankle and went on a long run to help get the Chiefs in scoring position in the fourth quarter, leading to a game-sealing field goal and a Super Bowl Championship.
Patrick Mahomes has the Greatest Start to a Career in NFL History
With two 5,000-yard seasons, two Regular season MVPs, three Super Bowl appearances, two Super Bowl wins, and two Super Bowl MVPs, Patrick Mahomes has the most accomplished six-year stretch in NFL history, and he only played one game in his rookie season. It’s not hyperbole to say Patrick Mahomes is a category all on his own in the first six years of his career, the only comparison to Patrick Mahomes’ early career has been Joe Montana.
Mahomes also has the rarified air of possibly having the best season by any quarterback in NFL history. He had a 5,000-yard season, an MVP, a Super Bowl MVP, and a Super Bowl ring in the same season is something we’ve never seen before, and only Patrick Mahomes could have done it. At 27 years old, Patrick Mahomes is a first-ballot Hall of Famer and has firmly taken the mantle as the best quarterback in the league and could possibly be seen as the best to ever do it.
Brett Veach Deserves His Flowers
After the confetti fell upon the heads of the players in Tampa after Super Bowl LV, it was the worst loss of the Reid-Mahomes era. The offensive line couldn’t block anybody, the receivers dropped passes, and the defense couldn’t stop a nosebleed. In the months following the Super Bowl loss, Brett Veach got to work.
Veach signed Offensive Guard Joe Thuney, traded a pick for Orlando Brown, drafted Creed Humphrey and Trey Smith, and the new offensive line for the Chiefs was finally there. Veach then drafted Nick Bolton to replace aging linebackers, drafted Noah Gray to help lighten the load for Kelce, and picked up Jerick McKinnon in free agency. The new-look Chiefs had a great season, getting to the AFC Championship, but losing due to a lack of options at WR and the defense’s lack of talent on the back end.
Brett Veach went back to work again, signing Marquez Valdez-Scantling and JuJu Smith-Schuster to help bolster their wide receiver core, signing Justin Reid to replace Tyrann Mathieu, and trading Tyreek Hill for five picks after both sides couldn’t agree on terms. Then in the draft, he chose three eventual starting defensive backs Trent McDuffie, Joshua Williams, and Jaylen Watson, then drafted huge contributors in George Karlaftis, Leo Chenal, Skyy Moore, and Isiah Pacheco. The final piece to the puzzle was a midseason gambling-type trade for Kadarius Toney, someone no one really wanted in New York and everyone loved once he became a Chief.
All of these players started or were important rotational players in the Super Bowl, and they all helped the Chiefs win another ring. The newly built offensive line gave up zero sacks, Nick Bolton ran a fumble back for a touchdown, Kadarius Toney got a huge punt return and then got a touchdown, Skyy Moore got his first NFL TD in the Super Bowl, JuJu Smith-Schuster willing the Chiefs down the field to take the lead, and Isiah Pacheco helping to bleed the clock on the last drive.
Brett Veach totally revitalized the Chiefs after a Super Bowl and AFC Championship defeat to become Super Bowl Champions yet again. He now will have 12 Draft picks in the 2023 NFL Draft in Kansas City, and the leverage to bring players back and sign new ones to help to go after another Lombardi in 2023.
Enjoy the Moments
In 2013, the idea of the Chiefs winning a Super Bowl seemed to be a pipe dream, the Chiefs had the worst record in football the season before and selected a left tackle with the first overall pick. They just brought in the recently fired Eagles’ Head Coach Andy Reid and the Director of Football Operations from the Packers John Dorsey as the GM. Andy Reid brought in Dorsey’s eventual replacement Brett Veach as one of the leaders in the scouting department.
The Chiefs were a playoff contender throughout the entire Alex Smith era but were never a major threat, and a lot of players either left or retired like Jamaal Charles, Eric Berry, and Derrick Johnson did. It wasn’t until Patrick Mahomes entered the fold that the Chiefs finally had the possibility of winning a Championship.
Now that we stand at two Super Bowl Championships and three appearances in five seasons, it’s time to step back and savor this. It’s rare for a team to consistently be a threat like this and to have possibly multiple Hall of Famers on the roster at one time. Remember to savor the moment and to treat this as what it is, rare. The Chiefs are in rarified air with multiple Super Bowl wins in a five-year stretch, it might never be this sweet again. Go Chiefs.
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