The Kansas City Chiefs won their third Super Bowl title in five years thanks to their overtime success against the San Francisco 49ers at Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas. It was the first time any team had defended their crown since the New England Patriots in 2004. The Chiefs ended the regular season as the AFC West champions with an 11-6 record. They defeated the Miami Dolphins in the wildcard round of the playoffs before road victories against the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens respectively.
Andy Reid’s side went into Super Bowl LVIII as the underdogs against the 49ers, a franchise very familiar with Super Bowl success. San Francisco led 10-3 at halftime and even scored first in overtime, but the Chiefs were able to come back on both occasions to lift the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
Patrick Mahomes Lifts Another Super Bowl MVP Award
Roger Goodell hands Patrick Mahomes his Super Bowl MVP trophy pic.twitter.com/V48Re9od2g
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) February 12, 2024
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes became the franchise’s starting quarterback in 2018 and since then he has led his team to four Super Bowl appearances, winning three times and losing once. In all three of their Super Bowl wins, he was named the Super Bowl MVP.
Mahomes is one of five quarterbacks in the NFL’s history to land three Super Bowls or more. He joins Tom Brady, Terry Bradshaw, Joe Montana, and Troy Aikman on the list. The Chiefs man will be targeting the former Patriots QB, Brady’s record of seven Super Bowl rings, following his latest triumph in Las Vegas.
As CNBC reported, with a ten-year contract worth $450 million, Mahomes has one of the highest-paid contracts in the history of professional sports. Kansas City drafted him in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft. They gave him a year to shadow veteran QB Alex Smith, before making him their starter in 2018.
In his latest triumph, Mahomes threw three touchdowns in the Super Bowl, including a walk-off touchdown to Mecole Hardman in overtime. He completed 34 of his 46 passing attempts and accumulated 333 passing yards. Once again, Mahomes often found his tight end (TE) Travis Kelce in important third-down moments.
Reid Joins List of Great Coaches
Head coach Reid joined the Kansas City Chiefs in 2013 after spending 13 years with the Philadelphia Eagles. Since arriving at the franchise, he has not had a season with a losing record.
Reid has led the Chiefs to the playoffs in 10 of the 11 seasons he has been in charge. His side has been in the AFC Championship game in each of the last six years, winning that contest four times in that stretch.
Andy Reid will be tied for third most Super Bowl appearances by a HC 💯 pic.twitter.com/8hbKPJfAYt
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) February 7, 2024
The 2002 NFL Coach of the Year has been able to bring together some big characters in his dressing room and keep them all pushing for the same goal. He also put a lot of confidence in Mahomes in the early stages of the quarterback’s career.
Reid has two years left on his deal in Kansas City, but it would be no surprise to see the franchise rework his contract in the offseason.
Defense Has Stepped Up in 2023
Chiefs TE Kelce and Mahomes often come in for the most credit for their work on offense, however, their defense deserves a lot of plaudits in the 2023/24 campaign. They were inside the top 10 for the majority of the defensive team stats.
Only the Cleveland Browns gave up fewer yards per game than the Chiefs last season, while they finished second in team sacks behind the Baltimore Ravens. Those were both major improvements from just 12 months earlier.
Dynasty Status Now Secured
A third Super Bowl victory ensures the Kansas City Chiefs have now been given dynasty status. As of February 12, they are +700 in the NFL betting to add another triumph at Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans in 2025.
With six Super Bowl successes between 2001 and 2018, the Chiefs have the New England Patriots in their sight now. At the age of 28, Mahomes remains young enough to keep having success in the sport, while many of their leading stars were already talking about going three in a row following their latest triumph.
As the Super Bowl champions, the Chiefs are likely to be involved in the NFL Kickoff Game in 2024. The opening game of the 2024/25 NFL season is set to take place on September 5.
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