AMERICAN FOOTBALL
Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday became back-to-back Super Bowl champions.
Mahomes threw a three-yard touchdown pass to Mecole Hardman with three seconds left in overtime, and the Chiefs rallied to beat the San Francisco 49ers 25-22, becoming the first repeat Super Bowl champs in 19 years and ninth overall.
With pop star Taylor Swift watching boyfriend Kelce from a suite, the Chiefs captured their third title in five years and firmly established themselves as a dynasty.
The NFL’s first Super Bowl to be staged in Las Vegas was a sloppy, mistake-riddled affair that was mostly boring until the back-and-forth fourth quarter and OT. It was the second of 58 Super Bowls to go to overtime.
The Chiefs trailed 22-19 after Jake Moody kicked a 27-yard field goal on the first possession of overtime, but Mahomes rallied the Chiefs, completing another impressive comeback in a rematch of a Super Bowl four years ago.
Mahomes ran eight yards on fourth-and-1 to keep the Chiefs’ chances alive and then scrambled 19 yards to set up the winning score.
After he connected with a wide-open Hardman, the Chiefs ran on the field as redand-yellow confetti fell on the turf. Mahomes celebrated by sprinting like mad into the end zone, then wheeling around and heading all the way back to Kansas City’s sideline, where he collapsed on the yellow-painted turf in what seemed to be elation and a bit of disbelief.
“This is awesome,” Mahomes said. “Legendary.” It was simply more Mahomes magic, giving the 28-year-old quarterback his second straight ring and his third overall.
He’s only the sixth quarterback to win three Super Bowls and the second youngest, and his three championships put Mahomes behind only Tom Brady, Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw for the most by a starting QB in NFL history.
Montana and Bradshaw are certainly within reach with four apiece, and given how quickly Mahomes is stacking up Lombardi Trophies in Kansas City, it’s hard to believe – even for him – that Brady’s record of seven is untouchable.
The Chiefs are the first repeat Super Bowl champions since the Patriots in 2003 and ’04, and their third championship in four trips over the past five years puts them in rarefied air. Asked whether they had achieved dynasty status, Mahomes replied: “It’s the start of one.”
Mahomes finished with 333 yards passing and two touchdowns, an early interception long forgotten when he found Hardman wide open in the end zone to send red and yellow confetti raining down from the rafters of Allegiant Stadium.
“Just know that the Kansas City Chiefs are never underdogs,” Mahomes said. “Just know that.”
Mahomes claimed his third Super Bowl Most Valuable Player award.
“Preparation,” Chiefs tight end Kelce said of why Mahomes is so good in crunch time.
“This guy works harder than anybody I’ve ever met in my life.
“That only makes me want to play harder for them guys. We know that he’s prepared and his instincts just take over. And he leads us to another one.”