Super Bowl 54's effect on the legacies
In the NFL, the Superbowl is the game we all have our eyes on. A total of 148.5 million watched the game at one time or another according to cbssports.com. This was a game full of turns and score changes. Like all great Superbowls, this game was a fourth quarter affair where in the end many feel that the best team won. And led by coach Andy Reid and eventual MVP Patrick Mahomes
The story of this game was the Chiefs. The unwillingness of the Chiefs to stay down, their high powered offense, their situational defense, and Patrick (bad word here) Mahomes. The subsequent MVP of the game, is still in a Miami hospital getting treated for back injuries after putting the entirety of Kansas City on his shoulders and carrying them to the first Superbowl for the Chiefs in 50 years.
Super Bowls can be the final step into Canton or the final nail in the coffin on a career that wasn’t hall of fame worthy. In the rest of this piece we’ll focus on how each starting quarterback and coach was affected by this game.
Andy Reid- Kansas City Chiefs Head Coach
15 years after his first Super Bowl appearance, coach Reid finally won the big one as a head coach. Undoubtedly one of the best of our generation and second to only Belichick if you ask me. Three years ago the Chiefs took a risk under the direction of Reid, trading up to draft Patrick Mahomes. A relatively unknown prospect, was drafted behind Mitchell Trubisky(so sorry Bears fans) as the second quarterback taken.
Andy Reid hall of fame invitation was practically in the envelope already but this win was the seal on the letter. Great play-calling by Reid and the ability to keep a young team’s head in the game for the second half was the difference in this game. A solid situational run attack went against the story of his career so far. Congratulations coach Reid, you earned it.
Kyle Shanahan- San Francisco 49ers Head Coach
The young coach blew a lead yet again. But it’s not all on him. Honestly I don’t feel the 49ers are at fault. The same way no one blamed the Jazz when they lost to the Bulls in the ‘96 finals. But at the end of the day, Shanahan blew his second Super Bowl lead, the first taking place in the infamous 28-3 game where he served as offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons.
In both instances, his play calling and new wave offensive schemes were what lead the offenses to success throughout the season. However, his situational play calling late game in the playoffs has been more than questionable and played a big role in both losses. For my money, Shanahan is the best young coach in football, but with being young comes inexperience that’ll hopefully fade over time.
Jimmy Garapollo- San Francisco 49ers Quarterback
Lots of people thought we were going to learn a lot about Jimmy G. Could the Brady backup plan win the Lombardi trophy on his own? We learned that the 49ers are ready to take that next step as a championship roster. They got plenty of experience this year and still have a wide open championship window for the next 2-4 years.
But the question mark above Jimmy G still remains. Will he be a game manager who will only throw 8 passes against in the NFC championship game like he did against Green Bay in 2020? Can he be the quarterback that can win the game with his arm alone? We still really don’t know and with all of the rumors coming out of San Francisco they don’t know either.
Patrick Mahomes- Kansas City Chiefs Quarterback
The MVP of the game came back from three separate 10+ point leads throughout the course of the playoffs– a feat which has never been completed by any other quarterback. This game gave the answers to the questions we thought were years down the line with Mahomes. In only his second season as a starter, he captured the Super Bowl in his first appearance of the game.
He’s one of the two-four quarterbacks in the league at a time who can account for 6 wins a season by himself. For my money one of two “blank check guys’’ in the NFL. Talent wise, the argument is there for Mahomes to be the most talented QB ever. Especially through this point in his career, his accolades are far greater than any other quarterback. Keep your eyes on Pat Mahomes.
cover photo by sky stockton