MITCHELL HORUCY
Asst. Sports Editor
After some more great games, the NFL season has come to an end with the conclusion of Super Bowl 58.
The Chiefs defeated the 49ers in a fantastic game with a final of 25-22 in overtime.
Contrary to what a lot of people think, I thought it was a great game.
The game had everything: wacky plays, turnovers, great coaching and much more.
This game has started a lot of conversation around both teams.
I’ll start with the Chiefs.
A lot of people have been saying that the Chiefs are a dynasty. It’s unfortunate to admit as a Bills fan, but this is the truth. They’ve won three of the last five Super Bowls, and appeared in each of the last six AFC Championship games. Five of those six were at home as well — pure dominance from the Chiefs.
Another thing you might’ve heard is that Patrick Mahomes is the G.O.A.T. (greatest of all time). From a pure talent standpoint, I think he already has G.O.A.T. status.
In terms of accolades, he still hasn’t caught Tom Brady, and he won’t for a while.
Brady still has four rings over Mahomes and an MVP. Based on his current trajectory, it’s not ridiculous to say that Mahomes will catch Brady, but he hasn’t yet.
A final thought about the Chiefs that I’ve heard is that Andy Reid has solidified himself as the best head coach ever.
I don’t agree with this, and after explaining my reasoning, I believe a lot of people will change their minds on the topic.
Obviously, Reid has been a tremendous coach over the course of the last 25 years, with three rings and five conference championships.
However, people don’t use the same argument with him that they use with former Patriots coach Bill Belichick. The biggest knock people use on Belichick is how he didn’t win anything before he got Brady, and once again didn’t win once Brady left.
Reid is in the same boat, as he didn’t win a Super Bowl until his 20th year as a head coach. He only has one NFC Championship in those 20 years as well. His first Super Bowl came after Mahomes’ second year as a starter.
I think Reid is a great coach, and one of the best offensive play-callers and minds of all time.
However, you can’t knock Belichick for not winning while giving Reid a pass for the same.
Moving onto the 49ers, I think there’s a lot of questions that could be asked.
I’ll start off with something that just happened at the time of writing this, which is the firing of defensive coordinator, Steve Wilks. I can’t say that I agree with this decision, and I think it reflects very poorly on head coach Kyle Shanahan.
Wilks’ defense ranked eighth in yards per game and third in points per game during the regular season. In the Super Bowl as well, he held the Chiefs offense to 19 points in regulation, and turned them over twice. The 49ers defense also held the Chiefs to three field goals in the red zone, saving a potential of 12 points. They did all of this without starting linebacker Dre Greenlaw, who only played 12 snaps before injuring his achilles running onto the field.
I also think that it’s fair to start to question if Kyle Shanahan will ever win “the big game.” He’s now 0-2 as a head coach in the Super Bowl, and 0-3 if you include Super Bowl 51, in which he called plays for the Atlanta Falcons.
In all of those games, he’s blown at least a 10-point lead, including a 25-point lead against the Patriots.
A great comparison I’ve seen has been between Shanahan and former NFL head coach Don Coryell.
Most of you might’ve never heard of Coryell, but he changed the way football was played. He was the coach of the San Diego Chargers from 1978 to 1986. He was one of the first coaches to implement a pass-heavy, air-raid style of offense, as his nickname was “Air Coryell.” He had the number one passing offense for six straight years, and finished no worse than second from 1977 to 1985.
However, he only had two conference championship appearances to show for it.
It’s possible Shanahan could fall in the same boat as Coryell. Shanahan has revolutionized the way pre-snap motion and run blocking schemes are used.
It’s fair to recognize the work that he’s done for the game of football, but I think it’s very reasonable to question his ability to win big games.
As we move into the offseason, there’s still a lot of uncertainty in the NFL, but here’s my way-too-early Super Bowl pick: Bills vs. Lions.
For the Bills, as much as it may seem like a homer pick, I think it’s reasonable to make this call. They will return lots of starters, Joe Brady will have a full offseason to implement his offense, and they don’t have a ton of holes on the roster.
In the NFC, the Lions are set up for success heading into this upcoming season. They also return a lot of key players, and they will have around $44 million in cap space. Offensive Coordinator Ben Johnson returning to his duties instead of leaving is also a huge win for Detroit.
Final 5th Quarter playoff prediction standings!
Mitch: 8-5
Matt: 7-6
Parker: 6-7