Sport always provides opportunities to settle accounts of the past. The fourth quarter of Super Bowl 54, played in 2020, is a painful memory for San Francisco 49ers fans. The team let 21 points escape in the final minutes of the final to be defeated by the Kansas City Chiefs. That afternoon in Miami, the legend of Patrick Mahomes, who was then 24 years old, began to be forged, and he led his team in an epic six-minute comeback to win his first championship.
Four years later, both teams meet again in a Super Bowl, the 58th edition (3:30 p.m. local time, 5:30 p.m. in Mexico and 12:30 a.m. on Monday in Spain). Mahomes and the Chiefs, led by Andy Reid, are the defending champions. This Sunday there is more at stake in Las Vegas than preventing the Vince Lombardi trophy from changing hands. With three championships in five years, the team seeks to establish itself as the new great dynasty of American sports capable of marking an era. A win would make the Chiefs the first in 19 years to win back-to-back titles. The last to achieve this were Tom Brady’s Patriots. Mahomes has the opportunity to stop living in the shadow of the New England 12.
Many doubted Kansas City would make it this far in the season. The 2023 champion, who defeated Philadelphia last year in an intense final, had an inconsistent start. His offense struggled to find a rhythm. They were sixth in the air attack and 19th in the ground attack, closing the year with 14 wins and 6 losses. The doubts evaporated in the playoffs. The team’s experience was enough to crush Miami in the Wild Card, narrowly beat the Bills in the divisional round and defeat the best team in the NFL, the Baltimore Ravens, in the conference finals, whose quarterback, Lamar Jackson, won the MVP of the season.
The successful passage through the postseason was thanks to the Kansas defense. Chris Jones, Trent McDuffie, L’Jarius Sneed and George Karlaftis have been key to the Chiefs reaching the Super Bowl with the best defense of the Mahomes and Travis Kelce era. The tight end has millions of eyes on him. Not only among sports fans, as the city’s casinos believe that he is destined to be one of the players who will undoubtedly score. The world is also waiting for his girlfriend, pop star Taylor Swift, to arrive at Allegiant Stadium to witness it. To do this he must fly to Nevada after singing on the other side of the world hours before.
“We already have everything we need to cover covered,” said coach Reid, who has been with Kansas City for eleven years, this Saturday. The bulky 65-year-old coach, the oldest in the entire NFL, has led the franchise to eight consecutive division titles and four appearances in the big game in the last five years. This morning he witnessed his team’s last training session before the Super Bowl. “I was satisfied with what I saw. I think we are ready,” he said after a 27-minute offensive rehearsal. Reid will close with the tradition he has followed for eleven years on the eve of a game. “I always finish with a cheeseburger,” he announced.
Despite being a team that borders on legend, the Chiefs are not the favorites. The capital of the world’s game has tilted slightly in favor of San Francisco, another of the great NFL franchises, which is seeking its sixth championship. This would tie them for titles with other dynasties, such as the Pittsburgh Steelers and Brady’s Patriots. San Franciso could also leave behind its eternal rival, the Dallas Cowboys, who have five.
There is an unlikely hero at the head of this effort. His name is Brock Purdy and he has had a meteoric career since he became an NFL player in 2022. That year, the quarterback from Iowa State University, was chosen by San Francisco in position 262 in the seventh round of the draft. This earned him the sarcastic nickname of Mister Irrelevanta term coined in 1976 by former player Paul Salata to give relevance to a draft position that is usually left on the margins of history.
Only 22 months after that, Mr. Irrelevant He is about to play his first Super Bowl. At 24 years old, the same age at which Mahomes won his first title, Purdy embodies one of the great stories of this final. And he does it after becoming the new great figure of San Francisco, a team that has pitchers like Steve Young and Joe Montana in the Hall of Fame. He did so coming off the bench to cover starter Jimmy Garoppolo, who was injured in Week 13 of the 2022 season.
Purdy has since set the passing record with 4,280 yards thrown and has become the first in two decades to throw at least 30. touchdowns in one season. During the campaign, the Niners showed a great offensive display thanks to a powerful attack made up of running back Christian McCaffrey, receiver Deebo Samuel and tight end George Kittle. San Francisco has the third-best rushing offense and the fourth-best passing offense.
Purdy looks to leave the nickname behind. To do this he must get on a short list of quarterbacks who have won the battle against Patrick Mahomes in postseason games. Only two have done it: Joe Burrow with the Bengals in a conference final and Tom Brady did it with two teams, the Patriots and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.