The Kansas City Chiefs are gearing up for a three-peat this season. In doing so, the defending champions would become the first franchise in the National Football League (NFL) to win three consecutive Super Bowl titles.
The team based in Kansas City, Missouri beat the San Francisco 49ers, 25-22 in overtime to grab back-to-back Lombardi trophies. This made the franchise the first team in 20 years to win consecutive titles. In addition to this, the Chiefs are also the fourth team to achieve three titles in five years enlisting their names among the all-time greats.
PC: Chiefs Instagram
They now compete with the Green Bay Packers and New York Giants for fifth most. Although the Andy Reid-led side were dominated in pace by the Niners in the first half, star quarterback Patrick Mahomes changed the game in the second when he threw an interception on the Chief's first possession.
The Chiefs, who won their fourth Super Bowl championship, the third in the last five years, went on to find their offensive footing before having their first lead of the game in the third quarter. This was the time when it became a nail-biting battle of the title, ending the game in favour of the Chiefs. So how did this happen? Let's have a look at the factors making the franchise the winner of the Super Bowl LVIII.
Patrick Mahomes
Patrick Mahomes has become one of the greatest quarterbacks in the league. The 29-year-old has polished his legacy by leading his side to its second back-to-back Super Bowl victory. In addition to this, the 6 ft 2-inch star grabbed his third Super Bowl MVP award. This tells a lot about his contribution to the Chiefs.
PC: Chiefs Instagram
The Chiefs star has a regular-season winning percentage of .771 (74-22) as a starting quarterback. The three-time Super Bowl champion concluded with 34 completions on 46 attempts for 333 yards and two touchdowns resulting in a passer rating of 99.3.
Mahomes, the 3 three-time Super Bowl MVP has proved to be one of the most contributing players for the franchise, leading the side whenever it's needed and when it counts the most.
Defense
Defense was one of the factors why the Kansas City Chiefs were able to celebrate the Super Bowl LVIII, in addition to Mahomes’ magic on the field and Reid acting as a master offensive conductor.
The franchise was able to suffocate the opponents with the help of their defensive squad made of youngsters, which has been essentially remade. All thanks to General Manager Brett Veach, who brought an influx of young rising stars into the program. The youngsters have been getting better and better over time in Kansas City.
Starting with Steve Spagunolo and his defensive skills, it was the youngest defense in the league this season at 25 years and 279 days old, according to NFL Research.
Trent McDuffie is another name who has impressed everyone with his defensive skills progressing from year 1 to year 2 which has been nothing but phenomenal. He had three tackles, two quarterback hits and three passes defended. The franchise has learned how playing these youngsters has been benefiting them.
PC: Chiefs Instagram
Their defense continued to put the opponents in third-and-long and this allowed the pass rush to get pressure on quarterback Brock Purdy. Not to forget, mentioning Chris Jones as the defensive tackle in the overtime disrupted a third-down play in overtime, which resulted in a field goal, keeping the Chiefs alive in the game.
With inputs from agencies
Image credit: Patrick Mahomes Instagram
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