Consider if he had two healthy ankles. Patrick Mahomes limped to the bench at the end of the first half, unable or reluctant to put weight on his right leg after TJ Edwards of the Eagles dragged him down by it.
On the 26-yard run that put his team in position to win Super Bowl LVII, he showed no such difficulty as he sped away from the league’s top pass rushers and into the open field.
In crucial moments, the great put their problems aside and carry their teams on their shoulders. Mahomes endeavors to be the best. Andy Reid, his head coach, remarked, “That’s what he wants to accomplish and how he goes about his job.” “Great quarterbacks improve the play of everyone around them, even the head coach.” He has done an outstanding job.”
This nearly seemed like an understatement, but Reid’s goal was to emphasize the player’s humility. After the game, Mahomes focused solely on the team: teammates who challenged one another to strive harder and rookies who were up to the moment.
Permit us, then, to say it for him: Mahomes is one of the most brilliant quarterbacks to ever play the game, and some have already dubbed him the greatest quarterback of all time. Comparing a completed career to a continuing one is meaningless, even though many may disapprove of the latter suggestion in light of his two Super Bowl victories versus Tom Brady’s seven. A few days earlier, Mahomes stated, “Ask me when I’m about 38 years old.”
Super Bowl in the same season
This was another night in which he accomplished the impossible, becoming the first player to win the Super Bowl in the same season he led the NFL in passing yards. Ask Brady how difficult that combination is to execute. None of his seven championships were won during the four seasons he outperformed his competitors.
Why shouldn’t a team with the most prolific quarterback be the greatest if that club has the most prolific quarterback? But it’s not. No matter who you believe is, was, or will be the best of all time, no player can carry the show on their own.
There are times, however, when Mahomes makes you believe he can: a human tornado spinning so quickly in the middle of the pocket that the league’s greatest pass rush was dispersed across the field like rubble. The Eagles finished the regular season with 70 sacks, 15 more than any other team, and added eight more in the playoffs. On Sunday, they were unable to obtain one.
When his squad needed leadership, Mahomes supplied it, driving his team the length of the field in eight plays in response to a touchdown scored by Philadelphia on the opening drive. After limping out of the first half with his team trailing by 10 points, he ensured he was the first player out of the tunnel when play resumed. As he stormed from the winner’s podium, he declared, “I promised you guys last week that nothing will keep me off the football field.”
Mahomes stated that at the intermission, only physiotherapy and athletic tape were utilized. Whatever it was, it worked. He ran for 14 yards on the Chiefs’ opening drive of the third quarter, which resulted in a score and a three-point deficit reduction.
Eagles to fail by employing pre-snap motions
His second-half performance was nearly faultless, as he completed 13 of 14 throws for 93 yards and two touchdowns in addition to his impressive rushing. He was not alone, however. The rookie running back Isiah Pacheco also ran the ball efficiently, and Reid’s play-calling staff set up the Eagles to fail by employing pre-snap motions to generate overloads and then adding a new wrinkle to each play. Skyy Moore and Kadarius Toney received scoring passes with no defender nearby.
Nick Bolton recovered and returned a fumble 36 yards for a touchdown in the first half, and Toney had the greatest punt return in Super Bowl history with a 65-yard return in the second. Without these plays, Mahomes may not have been in a position to make the last push for victory.
At times, Philadelphia’s offensive appeared more potent than Kansas City’s, but costly errors overshadowed the excellent work. The Eagles quarterback, Jalen Hurts, committed an inexcusable fumble, with the ball slipping from his grasp without being struck. On the second play of the following drive, he risked escalating a setback into a catastrophe by throwing into double coverage downfield.
Five AFC title games
Before the game, Mahomes spoke about the lessons he had learned from playing on so many major stages so early in his career: five AFC title games and two Super Bowls in five seasons. The most essential thing, he said, is to simply go out and play as if it were another game.
He maintained his composure in Glendale despite a tough first half. Instead of trying too hard and committing a mistake that could have cost him the game, he waited long enough to prevail.
This is the true secret to long-term success, which Brady exemplified more than anyone else. The fact that Mahomes recognizes this at age 27 may be the most compelling evidence that he may win seven Super Bowls himself.
Currently, he has two in addition to an MVP award for each. Tradition dictates that the recipient of the award will receive a trip to Disney World. Mahomes stated that he did that last time, therefore he will instead visit Disney Land. He stated with a chuckle, “I’m hoping they’ll create more parks so I can travel the globe.”
This a humorous remark from an athlete who did not have sufficient space to remove his pads. However, a warning is included: Mahomes has hardly begun.
