Mahomes Postseason Championship FINAL Chiefs/Eagles 2023 vs. Chiefs/49ers 2020

[Chiefspants]

We’re to the final round of the Mahomes greatest postseason victory tournament. The final features our Super Bowl victories, the Chiefs/Eagles Super Bowl vs. the Chiefs/49ers AFC Championship Game. After obliterating the games in their path (to the point that the consensus was to give the Chiefs/49ers a bye over the Chiefs/Bengals win), the Super Bowls are the last teams standing. A VOTE for your favorite game of the two, the winner (poll closes Wednesday), will be the final victor in the tournament!

Game A: 1 seed Super Bowl 57: Chiefs vs. Eagles: State Farm Stadium, February 12th, 2023

First there was Wasp, now there's Corn Dog. ��*

Andy Reid dialed up a wide open Kadarius Toney. @0fficialC2N pic.twitter.com/0U9EjmCdzl

— NFL Films (@NFLFilms) February 16, 2023



It could not have been scripted better for the Chiefs to end their 2022 Football Season in the exact place it started against the Philadelphia Eagles. After being fired from Philly 10 years prior, Andy was returning to the Super Bowl to face his former team, the Kelce brothers, after starting the most popular podcast in the NFL, were facing off in the Mama Kelce bowl, and Patrick Mahomes was coming to complete his legacy defining year against Vic Fangio. Fangio is credited with pioneering the two high defensive look against Patrick Mahomes, a defense which is now the response against all modern passing offenses. While Fangio was unable to field an offense more capable than a 1980’s Marty Offense to actually beat Mahomes, his defenses slowed down and frustrated Patrick to a point that our young QB and Andy Reid got bull-rushed to start the 2021 season when all opponents rolled out that defense to stop Patrick. The beginning of that season was the first time we saw Patrick struggle and lose his confidence for an extended stretch, and even more notably, the season ended with the Bengals stifling Patrick in one of the worst halves of his career to end the previous season. These struggles were on everyone’s mind when Tyreek got traded last offseason, the narrative that Patrick and the Chiefs were taking an inevitable step back while the AFC West “loaded up” became a dominant one going into the year. Patrick responded by putting together an MVP season complete with a redemption victory against the Bengals. Now in the Super Bowl, the Chiefs needed a complete team effort with the defense and special teams coming up huge in big moments. Unlike Jimmy G, Patrick was now against a young quarterback who rose to the occasion and traded blow for blow with Patrick. Patrick would need to be perfect against a Fangio planned defense to nab this legacy defining victory and launch the Chiefs into the dynasty conversation, and he was.

Since I had an unsung heroes theme with the 9ers game, I’ll embed one of my favorite (often slept on) plays from Super Bowl 57, where Khalin Saunders hustled his ass off to keep Hurts from the edge to come up with a critical sack to keep the Eagles up by one possession. Toney’s return is rightly remembered, but this moment was just as game swinging (imo). The D has taken some heat for this game, but this was a team win - again an electric QB who rose to the occasion, the slip and slide field, and a second half deficit, they got the ball back to Patrick in a tie game with 5 minutes to go - a formula we will take every time.



Watch Game Highlights Here:

Spoiler!

Game B: 2 seed 2020 Super Bowl: Chiefs vs. 49ers: Arrowhead Stadium, February 2nd, 2020 


Fly like a butterfly, sting like a Wasp. @PatrickMahomes believed in himself, this play call, and the @Cheetah on the #SBLIV's Turning Point. @Chiefs pic.twitter.com/xTTU7AL6OQ

— NFL Films (@NFLFilms) February 6, 2020


After 50 years of disappointments, 2-14 blackouts, funerals for our franchise in our home stadium, and unfathomable playoff heartbreak - the Kansas City Chiefs were finally in the Super Bowl. Fittingly, the Chiefs faced off against the 49ers, who felt very similar to a 90’s Chiefs team. Strong defense, a strong running game and a “good” quarterback with questions about whether or not he could lead a team on a game winning drive in the postseason. The Chiefs were down 20-10 midway through the fourth quarter, but this time, they finally had the quarterback they had been waiting for over a half century. Despite being roughed up by the league’s #1 defense, Mahomes led an iconic drive anchored by what we now know as WASP to make it 20-17. Adding to the legend was that WASP was Mahomes’ own playcall, calling his shot in the biggest moment — but it then became up to the Chiefs defense to get a late, fourth quarter stop - the stop they couldn’t get against the Patriots in 2019, the Steelers in 2017, the Patriots in 2016, the Colts in 2014 or 2004, and the Broncos in 1998. But this time, Chris Jones, Steve Spagnuolo, and the defense were up to the task. WASP would not be remembered today without the defense, who were spurred by 3 critical, too often forgotten batted balls from Chris Jones, which gave the ball back to Mahomes who went out and cemented the first legendary title to his legacy.


A team win in every sense of the phrase, I’ll leave you with a play I argue was as critical as WASP (watch Kittle in the secondary). This play prevented the 49ers from having the chance to salt the game away, and helped launch Mahomes’ legacy to where it is today.



Game Highlights:

Spoiler!

[mnchiefsguy]

First!

[ptlyon]

I personally am delighted the Kansas city Chiefs, also my favorite football team, has succeeded in winning every one of these brackets. May the bestest team win!

[ThaVirus]

Well to break it down a bit..

Competitiveness: The 49ers game was competitive for the first half, then it looked like the 9ers were going to win comfortably for the entire 3rd and first half of the 4th quarter, then it was competitive again for the last 7-ish minutes.

The Eagles game was pretty competitive throughout. They held a 10-point lead that evaporated at the start of the 3rd quarter.

I think, if you asked neutral fans which one was a "better" game, the vast, vast majority would say Eagles.

Edge Eagles.

Rewatchability: Sort of rubs shoulders with competitiveness in this instance.

49ers game is basically unwatchable for Chiefs fans from the start of the 3rd until halfway through the 4th.

The Eagles game was TD, TD, TD, defensive TD, TD, TD. Two heavyweights just trading blows back and forth. I get a little miffed when Mahomes reinjures himself right before half, but otherwise I can watch this one all the way through.

Edge Eagles.

Legacy: 49ers game was a big deal. 50-year Super Bowl drought for KC and also ensured Reid would never go down as the guy who could get close but never seal the deal. It was monumental.

Eagles game solidified the KC dynasty (or near dynasty if you prefer) and solidified Mahomes as a GOAT. He wouldn't be a Brees, Rodgers, etc.

Edge 49ers.

[ThaVirus]

I still want to give it to the 49ers game lol

The legacy boost from that one was just.. so sweet. We needed that one.

[mlyonsd]

Originally Posted by ThaVirus

I still want to give it to the 49ers game lol

The legacy boost from that one was just.. so sweet. We needed that one.

When this little contest started I already had my mind made up I would pick the eagles game. But then I got to thinking I waited 50 years to watch the chiefs in another SB. I even came to the realization I might never see another one. That's what I ended up voting for.

[Zebedee DuBois]

No wrong answer here.

I went with 2019 SB victory over the 49ers, because we finally broke through the door.

We thought it might never happen, but it did.
NOW, we think it'll happen every year.

Here's to the Chiefs, and all our future SB wins.!

[FlaChief58]

Chiefs v 9ers. I don't think I'll ever forget the elation I felt after getting that 50 year old monkey off our back

[Bearcat]

This is tough.

Both games were a year removed from AFCCG losses, so there was a bit of urgency to win. Both games to a large extent had the "complete team" storyline as opposed to some epic QB match up (at least going into it, Hurts obviously proved that wrong). Chiefs struggled for about a full quarter of the 49ers game, bookmarked by interceptions... and they struggled for much of the 2nd quarter against the Eagles, saved only by a defensive touchdown.

And then there's "the first time" versus recency bias. And agreed with ThaVirus' assessment, the Eagles has elite rewatchability, even though part of the greatness of the 49ers game was overcoming their defense, as opposed to the offensive output of both the Chiefs and Eagles.

I felt cautiously optimistic going into both games. Definitely started getting a bit of a sinking feeling with Mahomes' 2nd interception against the 49ers (pretty short lived, of course). Didn't ever have that same feeling against the Eagles, yet the 2nd quarter was pretty damn frustrating considering it felt like they should be down by more than 10.

I've already described by Eagles gameday experience... it kind of sucked. I went to a SB party in AZ for the 49ers game... shipped OK Joe's. Most people weren't terribly into the game, but didn't detract from it at all. I didn't mind being one of the few glued to the TV as others weren't distracting at all. It was a great night overall.


I want to say the 49ers, but I might change my mind.

[DJ's left nut]

He was just so damn good in the Eagles game. From the first snap to the last, he was an unstoppable machine.

If we're playing that Eagles team in the 2020 SB, we lose. The 49ers gave us enough live for Mahomes to find his footing.

But I'm not sure Mahomes could've done anything better than he did against Philly.

[Why Not?]

50 year drought ended. That's all I need to say.

[Rain Man]

You always remember your first.

[Soy Vibe]

hyped! read some article and dude was doing the annual not picking us to win the division thing, saying we lost too much on the O-line, Clark and Thornhill?

the goat will restock the cupboards errr

[DRM08]

I voted for Eagles game. Patrick was a billion times better in this game. He had a very flawed performance against the 49ers. He was essentially perfect against Philly, despite being injured compared to the 49ers game where he was healthy.

Plus you have to give Philly some credit for hanging in there and tying the game in the 4th quarter, whereas the 49ers collapsed and ended up getting blitzed 21-0 over the final 8 minutes of the game. From a neutral entertainment perspective, a 38-35 game is better than a 31-20 game.

[Hammock Parties]

the stakes were higher in the philly game, the situation much worse, against a better team

it will mean more long term, too

patrick ****ing dug down in the inner part of his GUT and found something RARE