On Feb. 7 the Buccaneers defeated the Chiefs 31-9 in the Super Bowl. The win gave Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady his seventh championship, more than any single NFL franchise. However, I want to talk about the other quarterback, Chiefs starter Patrick Mahomes.
Mahomes is considered one of the best quarterbacks in the league, and despite the fact that he only just completed his third season, his list of accomplishments is already too long to list here. Statistically, he had undoubtedly the worst game of his career in the Super Bowl, but to get the true picture of the game, we have to look past the stats.
Going into the game, one of the talking points was the injuries on the Chiefs' offensive line. Starting left tackle Eric Fisher had gotten hurt in the AFC championship game, and that meant right tackle Mike Remmers would have to shift over.
Remmers already had a rough Super Bowl history, having been victimized by Von Miller in Super Bowl 50 en route to becoming the MVP of that game. Everyone knew that the Chiefs offensive line would struggle against Tampa Bay’s defensive front, one of the best in the league, but looking back, it should have been a much bigger storyline.
Mahomes was under pressure all night, being pressured on 29 of his 57 dropbacks, the highest percentage of his career. It is only due to Mahomes genius ability to move around in the backfield that he was only sacked three times.
Mahomes ran 497 yards in the backfield on plays in which he was pressured throughout the course of the game, showing just how much work he had to do in order to get throws off.
To really appreciate how incredible Mahomes was, I would like to look at two plays from early in the fourth quarter. The Chiefs had the ball at the Buccaneers’ 11-yard line, down 31-9. If they were going to get back in the game, they had to do it now.
On third down, Mahomes dropped back and rolled out to his left, under pressure from two Tampa Bay defenders. As Shaquil Barrett dragged Mahomes down and Vita Vea got in his face, the Chiefs quarterback heaved the ball towards the back left corner of the end zone, where it was almost caught by a diving Byron Pringle.
The next play was even more ridiculous. This time Mahomes dropped back and rolled right, chased by William Gholston. Mahomes was tripped from behind, and as he was falling, while parallel to the ground, he somehow managed to get a throw off.
Just getting the throw away was impressive enough, but the pass hit Chiefs running back Darrel Williams in the face at the goal line. It was one of the most impressive things I have ever seen a player do on a football field, and it ended up as an incompletion. That is a perfect summation of Mahomes’ night in Super Bowl LV.
For the two weeks leading up to the Super Bowl, everyone seemed to think that Mahomes could overcome the significant disadvantages the Chiefs faced. After all, he had overcome every challenge he had faced so far in his career. But everyone was wrong.
The bottom line is that no matter how great you are, in the NFL, you cannot do it alone. Patrick Mahomes tried in the Super Bowl, and he came as close as anyone could hope to, but if he could not do it alone, no one can, not in this sport.
Will Cunningham is a sophomore studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Want to talk to Will? Tweet him @willocunningham.
