Super Bowl LIV Recap

If you wanted excitement compared to last year, this year's Super Bowl had everything you needed for a great game. Adversity, some old school and new school. The recipe needed for LIV. For the Kansas City Chiefs to defeat the San Francisco 49ers by a score of 31 to 20, it ends the 100th NFL season in grand style.

For San Francisco, the key factor of them was the defense. If they wanted to win, they needed to keep Pat Mahomes under control because of his arm. Unfortunately, it bended and the results were obvious. Mahomes contributed to three of the four touchdowns scored. Damien Williams was a bigger workhorse than what he did the other two games in the playoffs. Defensively, they got better late in the game. Sammy Watkins and Tyreek Hill made big plays in the receiving game. Enough stuff to keep the 49ers guessing. Three straight comebacks is very unbelievable considering the circumstances.

Kansas City buckled down for that second half. For as good a run game was for the 49ers, it never clicked for the running backs. Deebo Samuel, a receiver, was leading the way early on before Raheem Mostert took over in rushing, but not by much. Jimmy Garoppolo showed some poise during the game, but made costly mistakes with two interceptions, which the Chiefs took advantage of, including the final touchdown by Williams with less than two minutes to go. There was jitters in him throughout it. The 49ers knew they had to throw to keep themselves in the game, but the attempted runs that worked early failed later. That's the joy of Steve Spagnuolo. Playoff pressure and he gets his defenses to finish strong.

For Andy Reid, he now has a championship as a head coach. His place in Canton should be an instant lock. Spagnuolo putting together a ride similar to his 07 Giant run. Mahomes now has a place in football immortality. If puts on 10 to 12 more years of greatness, he'll be a Hall of Famer. Guys like Tyrann Mathieu get the taste of a Super Bowl win. As for the 49ers, Kyle Shanahan will have a lot to think about. That defense will be looked at as disappointing. And offensively, it wasn't a matter of burning clock. It was a matter of trying to not have similar plays over and over. Maybe Garoppolo learns a thing or two about defeat and rise to the occasion next year. This team is built to win a championship. They are going to be in the hunt for a good while.

I wouldn't put it in as a top 10 Super Bowl game, but definitely one of the best in the last 10 years, and a hell of a way to start the new decade. Top 15, top 20 game. The Midwest gets to have fun with bringing a trophy to that section. Can't ask for a better Super Bowl in recent memory.