We knew it was going to happen, but damn it felt like the 49ers could actually be the savior we needed. Unfortunately, Patrick Mahomes is inevitable. I’m trying hard to “appreciate greatness” and give the Chiefs the credit they deserve, but why the fuck does it have to be them? I’ve despised the Chiefs since I was a kid. Larry Johnson averaged over 100 yards per game against the Broncos and tormented me throughout elementary school/Junior high; he and Daunte Hall had career games every time they played Denver. I got a bit of a reprieve during the Manning years, but now Mahomes is back to torture my adulthood. I guess I just have to accept the fact that they own my NFL happiness, but it hurts to say it.
The Chiefs
Do we really need to get into it? You saw it. Patrick Mahomes had a sneaky 300+ yards, 2 TD performance and only worked when he needed to. Are the Chiefs starting to get bored with the post season too? It feels like they can get a score whenever they want to, but don’t “turn it on” until they need to. Forget the Super Bowls/accolades, it’s this type of laziness/procrastination that impresses me the most when it comes to the Chiefs.
The one silver lining in all the Chiefs’ success is Andy Reid. I love that man, and he deserves all the success that has come to him. Keeping Steve Spagnuolo, when the entire football world was calling for his head several years ago and saying the Chiefs were winning in “spite” of him, won him the Super Bowl this year. With all the offensive struggles they’ve had and the distractions, Spags had that defense humming all year. They corralled Christian McCaffrey to under 4 yards per carry and forced him to fumble when it mattered most. As much as I despise the Chiefs, it’s been great to see Andy’s success toward the end of his career.
Speaking of Andy Reid, we should really talk about the elder abuse Travis Kelce committed on Big Red. We should really hold our superstars to a higher level when it comes to their behavior. Not only should Kelce have been benched for the rest of this game, he should’ve been cut on the spot and escorted out of the stadium. You date one superstar and the entitlement goes through the roof.
San Francisco
I feel bad for Kyle Shanahan. Should he get shit on for receiving the ball in overtime? Sure. You definitely have an advantage going second and knowing what you need to win the game, but it’s gotta be rough being to the Super Bowl 3 times, having the lead in all 3 games, and losing each time. There was a point in OT where I was screaming at my TV to run the damn ball. Purdy dropped back 3 straight times, almost threw a pick, and got bailed out by a holding call. Luckily, they got back to the ground game, but I felt they should’ve leaned on it way more. Kyle wanted 30 carries in the game, and they didn’t reach that mark until overtime.
As much as I felt bad for him, the 3rd down playcalls from Kyle Shanahan drove me crazy, especially late in the game. Spags consistently brought pressure on third down, and Kyle countered with empty 3 separate times. Each time, the ball was batted down at the line of scrimmage or the pressure got to Brock Purdy. That’s unacceptable. When Brock has time, there are enough playmakers on that team to get open 1-on-1, so keep more guys in to protect him. For example, late in the 3rd quarter on 3rd and 5 from their own 30, Spags brought pressure, the Niners countered with 20 personnel, picked up the blitz, and Purdy was able to step up and find Jauan Jennings for a huge first down. There were too many times the Niners tried to counter the Chiefs’ pressure with space rather than keeping guys in protection to pick it up.
Steve Wilks deserves some blame as well. Their defense put the clamps on KC for the entire 1st half, but some of the 3rd/4th down plays were maddening to watch. I loved some of the pressures/simulated pressures he brought late in the 4th quarter, but they’re not a blitzing team, and it showed. On third and 2 from the San Francisco 43, I loved the interior pressure he brought, but it looked like #5, Randy Gregory, was supposed to “peel” on the running back and take him out of the backfield. Since the 49ers don’t blitz very often, he probably doesn’t have many reps peeling on the running back, and Jerrick McKinnon was able to get an easy 7 yards to keep the drive alive. Sure, it was 3rd and short, even if it’s not completed, the likelihood of the Chiefs picking up a 4th and short is high, but there’s a good chance that pressure gets home if Mahomes has to go to his next option.
Put the season to bed
I’m sad football is out of our lives for another 5 1/2 months. Unfortunately, we had to endure another Chiefs Super Bowl, and I’m sure there will be a million clips of the Kelce bothers’ podcast, Taylor stories, and parade clips to come. In the meantime, I’m going to focus on bettering myself, and I challenge all my Broncos/Bills brethren to do the same. We need to get better mentally, spiritually, and physically if we have any shot of slowing down Mahomes.
The Morning Flush 