Well that was a dramatic ending to the 2023 NFL season and history was made in Las Vegas as the Kansas City Chiefs won Super Bowl LVIII over the San Francisco 49ers.
There is little to no chance that this is going to end up on our list of Top 10 Super Bowls of All Time but boy was it a fun finish.
On the plus side it went down to the wire and the best player in the league made sure that the game ended with him in control of the outcome.
Check out our five big takeaways from Super Bowl LVIII below as we enter what is sure to be a busy offseason for the entire league.
1 – Chiefs Win Ugly
In games like this, style points really do not matter, just the final scoreboard.
It was an ugly game with plenty of mistakes but when the chips were down, Kansas City did enough to win.
That has been the story of their season, doing just enough to get by each and every week and now they can head back to Missouri with some extra baggage.
It was an ugly game for the Chiefs’ offence through three quarters with plenty of mistakes, outbursts and more stifling their productivity.
However they can send a massive thank you card to the likes of Chris Jones and Trent McDuffie who stepped up on big downs to keep San Francisco’s offence in check.
That makes it three titles in four seasons, with this one coming during an alleged “down year” which should serve as a major warning sign to the rest of the league that the competitive fire is still burning bright.
2 – KC’s Uncertainty Era Approaches
Speaking of that down year, we are going to see a very different Kansas City team emerge in the next couple of seasons.
Tyreek Hill is gone, Travis Kelce is getting older and despite his proclamations in the build up to the Super Bowl, is not going to be playing all that much longer.
Naturally Mahomes is still going to be the focal point of everything but his role has evolved from what it was even two seasons ago.
In response to the overhaul on the outside, the quarterback has become much more patient and is willing to take the lay-up plays rather than trying to force something stupid.
Defensively they have grown into a unit that is capable of carrying the team through the year and making big plays in big moments.
Then there is the coaching situation where 65-year-old Andy Reid is well and truly on the back nine of his career.
It sounds like those rumours of him retiring after winning this game might have been a bit premature but you can’t deny his massive impact on the Chiefs franchise.
At this point you count out Mahomes at your own peril, but in 12 months time we could be talking about him having to carry a team without Andy Reid, Travis Kelce, Chris Jones and others to the playoffs.
3 – Mahomes Is At The Table
In six seasons as the Chiefs’ full time starter, Patrick Mahomes has achieved just about everything a quarterback can do.
It seems crazy to say that within 12 months of Tom Brady retiring, someone could be threatening his status as the NFL’s greatest ever quarterback but Mahomes is on his way.
If he never plays another down, the 28-year-old is going to be a first ballot Hall of Fame selection thanks to moments like these.
Where exactly he fits amongst the all time greats debate is somewhat subjective, but it’s tough to argue anything below top five.
At that end you are splitting hairs between the best of the best, but considering it took Brady until ring number five to have a “complete” case, trying to artificially inflate Mahomes’ standing off just over half a decade of achievement massively cheapens the overall narrative.
When you consider the cases for the peers like Brady, John Elway, Peyton Manning and Joe Montana, longevity is the one thing those guys have that Mahomes does not.
But if he wants to play another ten seasons, Mahomes will blow that argument away by completely blasting his rivals numbers out of the order.
He’s just not quite at the summit of the mountain yet.
4 – Unlikely Contributors Come Up Big
It was a Super Bowl for the unexpected heroes on both sides of the ball.
In defeat, San Francisco’s backup receiver Jauan Jennings had a day and probably would have won MVP if the 49ers held on.
With the game bogged down early and Brock Purdy struggling, San Francisco went to Jennings to provide a spark and boy did he deliver.
Then early in the fourth quarter, Jennings gave San Francisco the lead with an angry run off a short catch.
On Kansas City’s side of things, Travis Kelce had a pretty poor first half and spent more time screaming at Andy Reid than actually contributing.
Step forward backup tight ends Noah Gray and Justin Watson who at one point were Mahomes’ main outlets.
Then there’s Mecole Hardman, at best an afterthought who came through with the game winning score, not that he knew about it in the moment.
5 – More Heartbreak For Kyle Shanahan
At some point, you have to wonder when Kyle Shanahan is going to reach breaking point.
This is now the third time he has had a team on the precipice of Super Bowl glory and the third time he has had to watch the other guys run onto the field as the confetti falls.
This one is not all on him, but he’s still going to cop plenty of blame for the way this unfolded and there are some decisions that will draw some rightful scrutiny.
In the third quarter San Francisco took over on the Chiefs’ 44 yard line after a Mahomes interception and called three passing plays to kick the ball right back to Kansas City.
All up to start the second half, San Francisco called six straight passing plays and eight of their first nine were throws, while getting the ball in the hands of their most dangerous player Christian McCaffrey twice in that span.
Then on third and five with two minutes left in the fourth quarter, he called a pass to Jauan Jennings instead of getting McCaffrey the ball and at least forcing Kansas City to burn a timeout.
Finally in overtime, with the ball nine yards away from what could have been a massive touchdown, he was forced to settle for a field goal which ultimately cost them.
None of those errors were as egregious as in previous Super Bowls, but it was another case of close but not close enough for the one-time boy wonder of the league.