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!