5 takeaways from a white knuckle Super Bowl thriller

Patrick Mahomes proves to be unstoppable again when the chips are down.

Julio Cortez/AP

I’m beginning to think Patrick Mahomes thinks a football game has five quarters. He plays like a thrill seeker who prefers his back to be against the wall. That’s where it was late in Super Bowl 58, a game that the San Francisco 49ers thought they had in hand, when in reality nothing is placed in cement with Mahomes on the other side.

In a game that hung around at 10-3 into the third quarter and finished with a final seconds game-winning touchdown pass from Mahomes to seal a 25-22 victory, the finish was nail-biting. I literally got a text from my dad saying, “Dan I need more fingernails.” The contest was a bottleneck due to the one score difference for most of the game, with each team’s defense slowing the other team down just enough to keep things interesting.

Here’s five takeaways from the evening, including the halftime show and commercials. If every Super Bowl can be like this, the NFL won’t need Taylor Swift to broaden their sport’s horizons.

5) Chiefs defense comes through

If it weren’t for a huge forced fumble on the opening drive of the game, San Francisco wouldn’t have needed overtime to claim a victory. They came storming out of the gate, but the Chiefs defense stripped the ball from their running back to quickly put a halt to a drive that would have netted at least three points.

That’s what K.C. did for most of the game: allow S.F to make a charge but not come away with much to show for it. Every time Brock Purdy and company marched into Chiefs territory, the wall was at least halfway built to slow the drive down. Pressure on the quarterback or a good stop behind the line, the unit always does enough to allow Mahomes to fight back.

4) Purdy is the real deal

All the kid did was fire darts and hit the correct red jersey all night. Purdy was 23-38 for 255 yards, protecting the football and moving the chains. It’s not his fault that he can’t hop on defense and sneakily knock Mahomes out of the game, or perhaps give the Chiefs’ kicker food poisoning or something. In his first Super Bowl, the 264th overall draft pick (he was literally the last call for the 49ers).

If he gets back to the big game, I imagine he’ll be walking away with a Lombardi trophy in his hand. He has a mix of Eli Manning’s stone cold tenacity and connects like a young Brady. He’ll be back.

3) The commercials were okay overall

The first half was cold dry for laughs, and the overly religious spot didn’t kick things off particularly well. The Affleck Dunkin Donuts commercial was funny, and I’ve already seen and liked the Vince Vaughn/Tom Brady betting spots. An early one with NFL players acting like a Planet of the Apes rendition was more odd than amusing.

There were a couple films that had good teasers, but I’m not a fan of “watch the whole trailer online” finish. I get that SB spots are going to be short, but it would be 25-30 seconds and then a quick cut to black. What I did see for the most part could have been enjoyed better if we were shown the entire thing. It’s as wrong as releasing commercials online or on social media weeks before the game. Overall: C.

2) Usher went all out, but I was left bored

It’s a comfortable spot to sit and admit that a particular style of music isn’t your favorite. R&B is one of those genres of music, along with country, that skates past my interest. So when Usher comes out and sweats like Stottlemeyer through a 30 minute set with lots of theatrics but little substance, an eye roll isn’t in order but that’s when I would check my phone for emails and social media updates.

He gave it his all and certainly played the hits; they’re just not the hits that I Shazam and quickly download. He looks terrific, though. If I can shake off the natural aging process like Mr. Raymond, I’ll be doing better than most.

1) The Mahomes train rolls on

He’s like the hero in the movie that the bad guys take too long to kill. They take their best shot, and head back to the bad guy compound to tell the boss that they “got him.”

“Where did you shoot him?”

“Stomach, neck, shoulder, leg, etc.”

“No, no, no! You gotta put one in the brain.”

If you don’t put him down, Mahomes will come back to haunt your team in the fourth quarter. He’s smart, patient, and doesn’t mind taking his time peeling a defense apart. Like all the great ones, he rises to the occasion on the biggest stage possible to win the game in the most breathtaking fashion. This wasn’t the Seattle Seahawks defense ruining Peyton Manning in a Super Bowl opening snap. This was a Rocky movie.

Mahomes was held in check, aka restricted on the ground and in general space behind his offensive line for the first half. The third quarter saw him break out on the ground, and still connect. His shortstop background allows him to complete passes at many arm angles and release points, which doesn’t bode well for a defense. He can throw with accuracy on the move, or just break off a 12-15 yard scramble.

He saved the best for last again, and now owns three Super Bowl rings in four tries.

Mahomes is also only 28 years old. Expect him back for a few more, at least.

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