Kicking game joins Mahomes, defense as deciding factors in Super Bowl

The Kansas City Chiefs have joined the NFL elite by winning their second straight Super Bowl and third in five years.

Just seven years into his brilliant career, Patrick Mahomes has already cemented himself as one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history.

The book has not been completed with just those seven chapters complete and it will be special to see what the finished product looks like.

The amazing ability of Mahomes to extend plays and to make ad lib plays sets him apart.

So does his calm but fiery competitive nature and tremendous arm talent.

Lamar Jackson may have won the Most Valuable Player award for the regular season for a second time with modest passing numbers and tremendous rushing numbers but there is no doubt who the best quarterback in the NFL is. Jackson has yet to prove that he can perform at a high level on the biggest stage.

Mahomes played in just one game in his rookie season of 2017 so you can almost throw that season out.

Since then, in six seasons, he has led the Chiefs to four Super Bowl appearances and three Super Bowl titles.

Mahomes has won two NFL Most Valuable Player awards and has now won three Super Bowl MVP awards, capturing that honor in all three of the Kansas City championship game victories.

While Tom Brady remains the best, most accomplished quarterback of all time, having surpassed Joe Montana, Mahomes is quickly moving toward catching and surpassing Montana.

Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, John Elway, Terry Bradshaw and Dan Marino are certainly among those ranks while Otto Graham, Johnny Unitas, Bart Starr, Troy Aikman, Roger Staubach, Sammy Baugh, Sid Luckman, Steve Young, Brett Favre and Ben Roethlisberger are others deserving of praise and mention, though comparing eras is always difficult.

The narrative on Mahomes has been clear among doubting Thomas analysts.

First, Mahomes was not going to the same guy without Tyreek Hill and the Chiefs would regress.

Next, Mahomes would suffer without the presence of Eric Bienemy.

Then, Mahomes could not possibly lift his team to championship form with a mediocre group of wide receivers.

Every step of the way, Mahomes has erased the narrative, creating his own narrative as the best player of the game, as a player who is easy to like, fun to watch and who has earned universal respect.

Then, there was the Kansas City defense, which bent but refused to break in the first half when San Francisco had a chance to build a substantial lead with the substantial edge it had.

Then, the Chiefs defense came up huge to open the third quarter.

Mahomes made his only mistake, a bad throw on the first possession of the second half. It was intercepted by Ji’Ayir Brown at the Kansas City 44-yard line.

Already up 10-3, the 49ers were poised to take a two-score lead.

Instead, the Kansas City defense stood tall, stoning the Niners offense, which lost a yard on three plays and had to punt. On the next San Francisco possession, the Chiefs forced another 3-and-out and its offense finally got on track, producing a field goal on its next possession and the game changed.

While Mahomes was the difference and the Chiefs defense came up huge in Super Bowl LVIII, the other clear differential was the kicking game.

While 49ers rookie Jake Moody made field goals of 55 and 53 yards in regulation and made a 27-yard field goal in overtime, his low kick on an extra point with 11:22 to play in the game was a deciding factor, blocked by Leo Chenal, allowing the Chiefs to tie the game in regulation.

The kicking game was also decisive when Thomas Townsend punted late in the third quarter. The punt hit the foot of San Francisco blocker Darrell Luter Jr. Return man Ray-Ray-McCloud saw it, attempted to pick up the rolling ball but was unable to do so and Jaylen Watson recovered for the Chiefs at the San Francisco 16-yard line.

On the next play, Mahomes hit a wide-open Marquez Valdes-Scantling with a 16-yard touchdown pass to give the Chiefs their first lead at 13-10.

The Kansas City kicking game was terrific.

Townsend averaged 50.8 yards on five punts, including two inside the 20-yard line.

Kansas City coverage units did not allow a return yard.

Harrison Butker kicked all touchbacks and nailed field goals of 28, 57, 24 and 29 yards and made his extra point attempt.

The game, itself, was far from a classic masterpiece for three quarters as the Chiefs struggled offensively and the 49ers struggled to finish drives despite dominating the line-of-scrimmage.

With the win, the Chiefs became the ninth team in NFL history to repeat as Super Bowl champion. New England, with Brady, was the last to do so in 2003 and 2004. Pittsburgh did it twice with Bradshaw and the Steel Curtain.

No one has ever won three consecutive Super Bowls.

The Green Bay Packers were the last team to win three straight titles, winning the NFL championship in 1965 before winning the first two Super Bowls.

The Chiefs will have a chance to do so and though the task is daunting, even monumental, you cannot dismiss the possibility with the presence of Mahomes and a terrific defense.

Throw in the tremendous kicking game, the all-important third phase, and you understand why the Chiefs are first again and could be next February in New Orleans. The 49ers are kicking themselves over missed opportunities.