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Welcome Back 👋 The dust has settled on the NFL season, and the Kansas City Chiefs are champs once again. Another double-digit comeback and some Patrick Mahomes magic? It's inevitable. This is a dynasty. In case you were wondering, Taylor Swift had more camera pans (11) during the game than Travis Kelce had catches (9). But who’s counting? Let’s rewind the biggest night in sports and celebrate one epic overtime thriller in Super Bowl 58. Letter Rip! |
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On Friday, we asked who you were picking to win the big game. There was either a glitch in the matrix or we're getting tired of seeing the Chiefs win, eh team? More than 90 percent of Sportsletter readers voted for the 49ers. Results 49ers: 91.7% Chiefs: 8.3% |
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Congratulations to Rick Hanson! Rick defied the odds through four rounds of our playoff pick ‘em to come out on top. He was the only one of our five finalists to pick the Chiefs over the 49ers. Rick, check your email soon for details about your rewards. Thanks to everyone who played along this NFL season. |
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Chiefs, Champs, Corndogs 🏆 |
Photo: Jamie Squire / Getty Images |
Chiefs Complete Another Comeback to Beat 49ers (25-22, OT) & Win 3rd Super Bowl in 5 Seasons If there were any doubts about calling this a dynasty, they're gone. The Kansas City Chiefs are champions once again after winning Super Bowl 58 in overtime, comeback fashion, defeating the 49ers (25-22, OT) with a walk-off touchdown to Mecole Hardman. The game-winning play was the same play-action rollout (“Corndog”) that propelled them over the Eagles last year. Despite just 3 points at halftime, Patrick Mahomes nearly racked up 400 yards en route to another Super Bowl MVP award. Kansas City is the first team to win back-to-back Lombardi trophies since the Patriots in 2004-2005, and they've also won three titles in four Super Bowl appearances over the past five seasons. The dynasty is real. And now, it's impossible to deny. The Longest Super Bowl Ever? At 74 minutes and 57 seconds of game time (full 60 minutes plus 14:57 into overtime), SBLVIII was the seventh-longest NFL game ever played and just the second OT game in Super Bowl history. It was the longest Super Bowl ever played. Let’s run it back and see how Mahomes, Andy Reid, Travis Kelce and Chiefs Kingdom pulled out one of the most thrilling Super Bowl comebacks in recent memory. Super Bowl 58 Play-by-Play A slow start for Kansas City was the first-half storyline as the nerves of the big game were evident on both sides. Early fumbles by both teams kept the scoreline low, but the 49ers moved the ball more efficiently. San Francisco eventually took a 10-0 lead on a double-pass trick play from Jajuan Jennings to Christian McCaffrey midway through the 2nd quarter. The Chiefs looked lost, but they tacked on a field goal before halftime for a 10-3 deficit that kept things manageable. Niners' LB Dre Greenlaw also suffered a torn Achilles on a fluke non-contact injury. Mahomes opened the 3rd quarter with an interception, but the 49ers couldn't capitalize on the pick. A field goal and a touchdown to Marquez Valdes-Scantling put Kansas City on top (13-10) before the end of the 3rd, and suddenly, we had a ballgame. The 49ers answered with a go-ahead touchdown to open the 4th, but a crucial blocked extra point kept the score at 16-13, Niners. Both teams traded field goals down the stretch in a clock-management chess match to go into overtime tied at 19-all, and the world held its breath. Overtime: Mahomes & 'Corndog' FTW The Niners won the coin toss in overtime and, strangely, elected to receive. They drove the length of the field before settling for another field goal (22-19). It felt like everyone on Earth knew what was about to happen next. The ball in Mahomes’ hands with ample time, needing a touchdown drive to win it all? Of course. Cue the script. The Chiefs went 75 yards in 13 plays, including a 4th-and-1 pickup by Mahomes on the ground, eventually culminating with a wide-open, fake-motion flare by Mecole Hardman for the game-winning, walk-off touchdown (25-22, OT). The signature Chiefs’ play-action rollout, called “Corndog,” has been used in various ways in recent years. Andy Reid called this one: “Corndog, with a little mustard and ketchup”… for the win! Elation for Chiefs Kingdom. Heartbreak for Niner Nation. Kansas City scored on their final four possessions of the game. |
Photo: Ezra Shaw / Getty Images |
Hardman’s Heroics We all know about the greatness of Mahomes, Kelce and Reid, but Mecole Hardman’s game-winning catch became an instant, iconic moment. Hardman was a beloved role-receiver for the Chiefs in past seasons before joining the Jets last year. After a struggling start to the season in New York, Kansas City traded a late-round pick to bring him back before the trade deadline. The absence of WR Kadarius Toney — last year’s Super Bowl recipient of 'Corndog' — opened the door for Hardman to play the hero. What a moment for Mecole. Team Stats in Super Bowl 58 A quick peek at the box score shows just how evenly matched Super Bowl 58 was. Both teams possessed the ball for 37-38 minutes. They committed two turnovers apiece and six penalties apiece. The Chiefs had 73 more yards of total offense (455-382), and they marched 75 on that final possession for the difference-maker. Individual Stats in Super Bowl 58 QB P. Mahomes (KC): 34/46, 399 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT QB B. Purdy (SF): 23/38, 267 yards, 1 TD RB C. McCaffrey (SF): 30 touches, 160 yards, 1 TD TE T. Kelce (KC): 9 receptions, 93 yards RB I. Pacheco (KC): 24 touches, 92 yards WR M. Hardman (KC): 3 receptions, 57 yards, 1 TD WR J. Jennings (SF): 4 receptions, 42 yards, 2 TDs K J. Moody (SF): 3/3, 55-Yard Long FG K H. Butker (KC): 4/4, 57-Yard Long FG |
Mahomes' 3rd Super Bowl MVP |
Photo: Michael Owens / Getty Images |
Mahomes Wins 3rd Super Bowl MVP By night’s end, it was no surprise Mahomes was the Super Bowl MVP once again. The 28-year-old has earned the game’s MVP award in each of his three Super Bowl victories, and he joins an exclusive list of three-time Super Bowl MVP winners that includes only Tom Brady and Joe Montana. That’s it. Double-Digit Comebacks, KC’s Specialty What’s most amazing about the Chiefs’ three Super Bowls in five years? They all featured 10-point comebacks. Kansas City trailed 10-0 after 25 minutes on Sunday night. They also trailed the 49ers by 10 (20-10) in Super Bowl 54, and the Eagles by 10 (24-14) in Super Bowl 57. Fun Fact: The Chiefs are the 4th team in NFL history to win 3 Super Bowls in a 5-year span (Steelers, Cowboys & Patriots). |
Photo: Jamie Squire / Getty Images |
Reid Joins Royalty Andy Reid now joins an exclusive list of NFL head coaches with three Super Bowls to his name. That list is headlined by Bill Belichick (6), but only includes four other names — Chuck Noll (4), Bill Walsh (3), Joe Gibbs (3), and now, Andy Reid (3). Shanahan Struggles 49ers' head coach Kyle Shanahan has now lost three Super Bowls with a double-digit lead, including two with the 49ers against Mahomes and one with the Falcons (offensive coordinator) against Tom Brady when Atlanta blew a 28-3 lead. Shanahan was also apart of the only two overtime games in Super Bowl history, and he's lost both. Chiefs Kingdom Parties On Just six weeks ago, few analysts looked at Kansas City and saw a true Super Bowl contender after their Christmas Day loss to the Raiders (20-14). The Chiefs looked like a shell of themselves, but they won their last two regular-season games to earn the No. 3 seed before taking down the Dolphins (26-7), Bills (27-24) and Ravens (17-10) en route to the Super Bowl. Ultimately, another 10-point comeback led to an overtime walk-off, and Chiefs Kingdom can throw another parade. 🎥 Watch: Chiefs Beat 49ers (25-22, OT) to Win Super Bowl 58 Congrats to the Kansas City Chiefs, your Super Bowl 58 champions! *We'll have more Super Bowl and parade coverage throughout the week. Read More SI: Patrick Mahomes Ensures Chiefs Dynasty With Back-to-Back Titles FOX Sports: Patrick Mahomes & The Chiefs Are Simply Inevitable ESPN: Did 49ers Miss Their Chance? Title Window Shrinks After SB58 Loss CBS Sports: Irate Travis Kelce Goes Viral for Screaming at Andy Reid on Sideline Yahoo! Sports: The NFL’s Overtime Rule Change Left Chiefs’ Mecole Hardman Confused After Game-Winning Touchdown |
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🏀 Post-Trade Deadline NBA Rankings Who are the favorites after the trade deadline? Who are the flawed contenders? And who is outright tanking? We re-rank all 30 teams’ title chances and assess the deals they did or didn’t make before last week’s deadline. (The Ringer) 🏈 Lamar Jackson’s Uncertain Season How Jackson went from a potential divorce from the Ravens to becoming the NFL's top player for them in 11 months was a bumpy road that needed a lot to go right behind-the-scenes. It did, and Jackson is the NFL’s youngest two-time MVP. (ESPN) ⚾️ MLB Offseason Awards While still waiting to see the free-agent market take off, let’s take a look at the 2023-2024 winter awards, before nearly 1,500 players report this week, and we hear they’ve all come into camp in the best shape of their career. The envelopes, please. (USA Today) |
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🏀 NBA 76ers at Cavaliers (7:00 pm, NBALP) Nuggets at Bucks (8:00 pm, NBATV) Timberwolves at Clippers (10:30 pm, NBATV) 🏒 NHL Kraken at Devils (7:00 pm, ESPN+) Flames at Rangers (7:00 pm, ESPN+) Wild at Golden Knights (10:00 pm, ESPN+) ⚽️ Soccer EPL: Crystal Palace vs. Chelsea (3:00 pm, FUBO) 🏀 NCAA Basketball M: Wake Forest at #9 Duke (7:00 pm, ESPN) M: #4 Kansas at #23 Texas Tech (9:00 pm, ESPN) *All Times ET |
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