Rarely does the game actually live up to the hype. This one was exactly what everyone wanted to see – one of the best defenses in the NFL against one of the best young quarterbacks we've ever seen.
And here we were, with five minutes to play, Patrick Mahomes had the ball in his hands and looking to lead his team on yet another comeback.
And once again, Mahomes showed what he's all about. You better take the ball out of his hands or leave him no time on the clock or he will bring his team back, no matter what defense is in his way.
Great game, great win for the Chiefs.
But like all Super Bowls, you can't help but find a few things that relate back to your own team. Sunday was no different. Here are 10 takeaways, some of them Cowboys-related and others just about the game.
And yeah, we'll stay away from any halftime show conversation. There were plenty of things shaking in the game to discuss.
- Win or lose, the 49ers are great for the NFL. What they did this year was not only an amazing turnaround, but it's probably the reason that just about every team in the league is excited about next year. It really doesn't matter where you come from. The 49ers were 4-12 in 2018 and just about six minutes away from being the Super Bowl champs. Yes, you need talent and good coaching, but you need the ball to bounce your way as well. The 49ers had all of that and were proof that turnarounds in the NFL can indeed be overnight.
- I keep hearing how Mahomes is going to reset the entire quarterback market when he gets a new contract, probably in the neighborhood of $40 million per season. If that's the market value for him, he deserves it. Yet, I still don't understand how that's going to affect Dak Prescott's negotiations. The guy in the way there is Russell Wilson. If he's making $36 million per season, I can't imagine the Cowboys would willing to pay Dak more than that. What Mahomes gets is what he's going to get and nobody should even be close to that right now. But whatever the asking price was back before last season probably doesn't change much. Dak put up more stats but finished 8-8 and missed the playoffs. I don't think either side gained much traction.
- There's really no other MVP for the Chiefs than Mahomes. He's the reason they are so good. But does anyone realize how close Damien Williams was to being the game's MVP? On the Chiefs' first scoring drive, he was tackled inside the 1-yard line and then was out there for the pitch from Mahomes had the defense not let the quarterback go. Williams scored the go-ahead touchdown and then the game clincher. If he gets that first score it might've been hard to overlook him.
- I saw where the Chiefs outscored the 49ers 21-0 to tie the Cowboys' Super Bowl record for a fourth-quarter margin. Seems a little weird to compare those two games as the Chiefs needed to rally from a double-digit deficit to win by double digits. The Cowboys were just racking up points in a game that was never that close. Then again, if Leon Lett doesn't lose the fumble on the 1-yard line, that's yet another record that stays with the Cowboys outright. It's like that play will always be remembered.
- Any coincidence the Super Bowl featured two of the best tight ends in the NFL? I don't think so. Those guys just provide huge security blankets for their quarterbacks, but on top of that, they can get down the field. The Cowboys need their tight end to be able to stretch the field more than we've seen in recent years.
- This isn't related to the Cowboys, but I certainly didn't like the offensive pass interference call on George Kittle before the half. Those guys are hand-fighting on every play, and it just didn't seem one that needed a flag. There are probably 3-4 fouls occurring on every play that are way worse than that. And because it was in the final two minutes, that play can't be challenged by the coach. Sure, it could be looked at upstairs, but I just don't think officials are going to buzz down and try to correct each other on judgment calls.
- The Chiefs won all three playoff games this year despite trailing by double digits. The Cowboys didn't win one game all year in which they trailed by 10 or more.
- Happy to see all those former Cowboys get a ring with the Chiefs. While Anthony Hitchens, Damien Wilson, Morris Claiborne and Mike Weber were all drafted, I can't really blame the Cowboys for letting any of them go. They probably didn't need to trade Charvarius Ward for a guy who never played. But still, some of those guys played big roles for the Chiefs, including Matt Moore, the backup quarterback who was once with the Cowboys at training camp.
- Watching Debo Samuel from the 49ers leads me to two thoughts: Either figure out a way to add some speedy slot receivers to the team, or use Tony Pollard in that role more than we saw last year. But if you factor in both Samuel and then Tyreek Hill (who is actually on another planet in terms of speed), those guys can be huge difference-makers for your offense. And they don't even have to touch the ball sometimes to be a factor.
- And if the Cowboys get to the draft and get somewhat stuck on who to take at some point during the weekend, just get more defensive linemen. The 49ers kept stockpiling young D-linemen year after year and look what it got them. I know the Cowboys won't be drafting high enough to land the Nick Bosa-type players, but just keep throwing those defensive linemen at the wall and see if they stick.
