On Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 in the Super Bowl, marking the end of the 2023–2024 NFL season and capping off a week-long stretch of buzz around the football world.
This stretch began on Thursday, Feb. 8 at the annual NFL Honors award ceremony, as some of the league’s top players and coaches were recognized for their accomplishments during the season. Among the notable award winners were Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, who garnered 49 out of 50 first place votes to win his second NFL MVP award, Houston Texans rookies CJ Stroud and Will Anderson, who became just the fourth tandem since 1967 to win Defensive Rookie of the year and Offensive Rookie of the year from the same team, and Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett, who sparked some controversy over his first place finish in the Defensive Player of the year race.
This year’s Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees were also announced at the ceremony; Dwight Freeney, Devin Hester, Andre Johnson, Julius Peppers, Patrick Willis, Steve Mcmichael and Randy Gradishar were all ascended into football immortality.
All of this discussion of awards and legacy before the Super Bowl created a narrative surrounding the matchup in the game. On one hand, there was Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who was looking to build upon his legacy by winning his third Super Bowl before the age of 30 and matching all-time record holder Tom Brady’s career pace. On the other hand, there was San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, who was looking to exorcise the demons of blowing a 28-3 and a 20-10 lead in his previous two Super Bowl appearances.
In the end, Mahomes ended up prevailing, as Shanahan’s 49ers blew yet another lead, this time a 10-0 lead in the second quarter. Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs have now won three championships within the past five years, eliciting strong comparisons to Brady’s Patriots, while Shanahan has fallen to 0-3 in the Super Bowl.
